Hogan Swing - Why?

[Hstead]

Is it just me or is anyone else tired of hearing "but Hogan did it this way"? Every teacher seems to know "the secret" yet every teacher has a different interpretation of what Hogan did.

 

Plus, Hogan couldn't beat Nelson before he retired. Hogan said Mickey Wright had the best swing he had ever seen. Hogan also liked Sneads swing. Hogan wasn't as good as Jack, yet we never hear "but Jack did it this way".

 

I just thought I would start this thread and see if anyone else is bored and tired with the Hogan stuff. Why someone would think that everyone should swing like a 5'8" man with long arms is beyond me. Flame suit on.

[Dinosaur]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1393206937' post='8731394']
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of hearing "but Hogan did it this way"? Every teacher seems to know "the secret" yet every teacher has a different interpretation of what Hogan did.

Plus, Hogan couldn't beat Nelson before he retired. Hogan said Mickey Wright had the best swing he had ever seen. Hogan also liked Sneads swing. Hogan wasn't as good as Jack, yet we never hear "but Jack did it this way".

I just thought I would start this thread and see if anyone else is bored and tired with the Hogan stuff. Why someone would think that everyone should swing like a 5'8" man with long arms is beyond me. Flame suit on.
[/quote]


ha..question of the century. Same could be said of Harley Davidson Motorcycles.

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1393206937' post='8731394']
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of hearing "but Hogan did it this way"? Every teacher seems to know "the secret" yet every teacher has a different interpretation of what Hogan did.

Plus, Hogan couldn't beat Nelson before he retired. Hogan said Mickey Wright had the best swing he had ever seen. Hogan also liked Sneads swing. Hogan wasn't as good as Jack, yet we never hear "but Jack did it this way".

I just thought I would start this thread and see if anyone else is bored and tired with the Hogan stuff. Why someone would think that everyone should swing like a 5'8" man with long arms is beyond me. Flame suit on.
[/quote]

Preaching to the choir.

He was 5-6 and fought the hooks and it took him 10 years of 8 hour a day practice to perfect it. Yea, let's copy that.

Great player, not a swing to copy.

[Jacob Mac]

Yup, totally agree. Lots of great ball strikers out there on the highest level, none of whom I should try and emulate. I need to focus on getting matching pieces in my swing.

[gabh]

[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1393207802' post='8731480']
[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1393206937' post='8731394']
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of hearing "but Hogan did it this way"? Every teacher seems to know "the secret" yet every teacher has a different interpretation of what Hogan did.

Plus, Hogan couldn't beat Nelson before he retired. Hogan said Mickey Wright had the best swing he had ever seen. Hogan also liked Sneads swing. Hogan wasn't as good as Jack, yet we never hear "but Jack did it this way".

I just thought I would start this thread and see if anyone else is bored and tired with the Hogan stuff. Why someone would think that everyone should swing like a 5'8" man with long arms is beyond me. Flame suit on.
[/quote]

Preaching to the choir.

He was 5-6 and fought the hooks and it took him 10 years of 8 hour a day practice to perfect it. Yea, let's copy that.

Great player, not a swing to copy.
[/quote]

Don't you think that's the exact reason why it should be a model? He perfected a draw swing that doesn't hook. What more could you ask for? That's distance and accuracy combined. And he won with it. A 5'6" Hogan is clearly longer than a 6'3" Byron. But I would agree Byron is more accurate.

[TheBoomer]

His pivot is great looking in the videos and made the swing look effortless.

He was actually 5'6 with a wingspan of 6'0
Talk about a base and wrecking ball effect.

[gabh]

[quote name='TheBoomer ' timestamp='1393208502' post='8731584']
His pivot is great looking in the videos and made the swing look effortless.

He was actually 5'6 with a wingspan of 6'0
Talk about a base and wrecking ball effect.
[/quote]

Wow, didn't know his arms are that long.

[zengolf]

Preach it Brother! So sick of Hogan analysis.
He is a one off talent and wrote a cryptic book and had a general aura of mystery due to his taciturn nature and the myth around his comeback from the accident.
A great player but people should spend more time thinking about what works for them and less time arguing over how "Mr. Hogan" did or didn't supinate his left wrist.

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='gabh' timestamp='1393208671' post='8731604']
[quote name='TheBoomer ' timestamp='1393208502' post='8731584']
His pivot is great looking in the videos and made the swing look effortless.

He was actually 5'6 with a wingspan of 6'0
Talk about a base and wrecking ball effect.
[/quote]

Wow, didn't know his arms are that long.
[/quote]

Yep. You take a guy like me who is 6-2 with a 6-0 wingspan and try to put me in those positions...and two people tried... Stuck city.

Ever seen a 350 yard drive, dead straight in the middle of the next fairway?

Ever seen a PW go 150 in the middle of the club face go right of the right bunker...pin high on a left pin?

[sprcoop]

[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1393209158' post='8731678']
[quote name='gabh' timestamp='1393208671' post='8731604']
[quote name='TheBoomer ' timestamp='1393208502' post='8731584']
His pivot is great looking in the videos and made the swing look effortless.

He was actually 5'6 with a wingspan of 6'0
Talk about a base and wrecking ball effect.
[/quote]

Wow, didn't know his arms are that long.
[/quote]

Yep. You take a guy like me who is 6-2 with a 6-0 wingspan and try to put me in those positions...and two people tried... Stuck city.

Ever seen a 350 yard drive, dead straight in the middle of the next fairway?

Ever seen a PW go 150 in the middle of the club face go right of the right bunker...pin high on a left pin?
[/quote]

No, I've never played with anyone that could hit it that far.

[Jobu]

[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1393207802' post='8731480']

Preaching to the choir.

He was 5-6 and fought the hooks and it took him 10 years of 8 hour a day practice to perfect it. Yea, let's copy that.

Great player, not a swing to copy.
[/quote]

what is it about his swing that shouldn't be copied?

the side arm throw is golden.

[Jacob Mac]

I should add that emulating Ben Hogan's toughness and his determination would be super worthwhile.

[3eagles18]

You must be young. Anyone whoever saw Hogan would not have posted your thoughts.

[Hstead]

[quote name='3eagles18' timestamp='1393209815' post='8731748']
You must be young. Anyone whoever saw Hogan would not have posted your thoughts.
[/quote]

I am 41. Do I like his swing, sure. Do I think every teacher understands what he did and how he did it, HEEEELLLLLL NO. Yet, every teacher knows exactly what Hogan did and he is going to teach it to you. Yeah right. Well, there are a ton of guys that have no business trying to swing like Hogan and it would wreck their game. So no, I do not think everyone should aspire to swing like Hogan.

[fowlerscousin]

I think hogans book is fine. Afterall tiger woods used it as a model growing up, turned out okay with it.
Only thing i dont like is that pitched "boss" elbow that so many hoganites drool over. Very few great ball strikers are in that position. Idk why it is so appreciated. I think dufner is the only modern player to copy it lol

[eightiron]

Have we got a link to the 5 ft 6 and 6 ft wingspan. Monte do you have short arms or narrow shoulders

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='eightiron' timestamp='1393210120' post='8731780']
Have we got a link to the 5 ft 6 and 6 ft wingspan. Monte do you have short arms or narrow shoulders
[/quote]

Short upper arms. Trying to get into that bent right elbow position at impact ruined my back while I was growing.

[eightiron]

[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1393210430' post='8731826']
[quote name='eightiron' timestamp='1393210120' post='8731780']
Have we got a link to the 5 ft 6 and 6 ft wingspan. Monte do you have short arms or narrow shoulders
[/quote]

Short upper arms. Trying to get into that bent right elbow position at impact ruined my back while I was growing.
[/quote]

Yeah I guess I never considered it a big factor , maybe cause I'm 5 ft 11 ( midget on wrx) wingspan is 6 ft 2 though . I don't have the bend issue

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='Jobu' timestamp='1393209633' post='8731728']
[quote name='MonteScheinblum' timestamp='1393207802' post='8731480']

Preaching to the choir.

He was 5-6 and fought the hooks and it took him 10 years of 8 hour a day practice to perfect it. Yea, let's copy that.

Great player, not a swing to copy.
[/quote]

what is it about his swing that shouldn't be copied?

the side arm throw is golden.
[/quote]

Top of the swing and impact.

It requires a specific body type, flexibility and strength to get in the first....and even more to get into the second from the first.

It's a phenomenal swing. Problem is less than 1 out of 100 Golfers has a shot at getting close.

Response to gabh. It was a no hook perfect draw swing from him. Most people that try it don't have 50 hours a week to practice and they end up with severe hooks. I've had dozens of people come to me who tried it. One guy I couldn't discern the difference between his backswing and Hogan from 30 yards away. All he could do was shank irons and snap hook woods. He was unable to not steepen the shaft from that position.

The point. We shouldn't be copy anyone's swing.

[Dinosaur]

long hitters of short stature; consider Ean Woosnam.

[Golfah]

I'm 5'7", 155 with a 6-foot wingspan. I'm relatively flexible, strong, and coordinated, but nowhere near the traditional body size for competitive sports. When I was younger, it was an inspiration to me that a man that measured almost exactly my height, weight and build was able to compete in an athletic sport at the highest level. I don't set out to make a "copy" Hogan swing, but when I look at Hogan pictures/videos, I can emulate/relate to the static positions because the dimensions and look of his body is a perfect match, so I tend to use him a lot as a model. I used to have instructional books by Faldo, Els, etc. and I could not figure out at all what they were doing before I realized the obvious: the positions a 6'4" golfer is getting into look vastly different than me.

[trajectory]

Hogan has some gems in 5 lessons though.

Take the waggle methodology for instance........same thing as Faldo drill..........same movements going back as that 9-3 drill I see pinned at the top.....Lotta Hogan rip offs out there.

You can see Dufner's waggle happen through his backswing..........and you can see Hogan's waggle as well.

There are a lot of details in the book and in the drawings that many people miss and could be interpreted a couple different ways.

But, how many PGA winners have mentioned this book as their swing guide growing up? Quite a few.

"automated" "automatic" "the more pressure you put on it, the better it functions".........Who wouldn't want that?

[Soloman1]

Perhaps the fascination is in idea that his swing is so hard to mimic. I don't think I've ever seen anyone copy it well. His swing always looks so fliud in slow motion, but it was just a blur in real life.

I think it's poetry to watch, but the fact that he needed to practice every day to maintain it is the best reason it should not be a model.

[HoganAfficianado]

Because the majority of top professionals who played with Hogan said he was the best ball striker they had ever seen. Period.

[Hoganstriker]

I dunno why anyone with a basic concept of the swing in their mind would try to copy Hogan. Theres no need. His name is a powerful marketing tool though.
For a more modern player it would be like trying to copy someone like Sergio-it's like why?
I guess as golfers we are all kind of masochistic.
I am a huge fan of his determination and mental strength but anymore not so much his swing. Coming from what he did in his life was amazing and gritty.
Thats the reason behind my s/n in fact.

[eightiron]

[quote name='Soloman1' timestamp='1393214017' post='8732236']
Perhaps the fascination is in idea that his swing is so hard to mimic. I don't think I've ever seen anyone copy it well. His swing always looks so fliud in slow motion, but it was just a blur in real life.

I think it's poetry to watch, but the fact that he needed to practice every day to maintain it is the best reason it should not be a model.
[/quote]

Funny you mention that , I'm not convinced of the blur tempo , I have a lot of DVD s of hogan swinging and his tempo was sorta medium , lots of vids on YouTube are sped up . I remember a digest article with the swings of Nicklaus Watson Hogan compared and the general consensus by the guys who had seen them all said Watson had the quickest tempo then Hogan then Nicklaus the slowest . I can't judge since I never saw him but nick price was considered fast and looks fast on tv but in real life he looks slower

[HoganAfficianado]

I don't know where people get the idea that Hogan HAD to practice 8 hours a day. He loved to practice, he wouldn't be regarded as one of the top ballstrikers of all time if he didn't practice as much as he did. It's not like his swing would've broken down if he put in a measly 2 hours of practice a day. All the long hours on the practice ground is where he figured out HIS swing. I think a lot of people like to dismiss his swing because it requires a lot of athleticism and pure technique.

[Soloman1]

I saw all of them in person and I think Hogan and Palmer had the two fastest tempos I saw in the late 60's. I though Hogan's driver swing appeared very fast and the tempo much faster than iron swings. I absolutely agree that Watson's tempo seemed very fast in person. Nick Price seemed very fast to me.

Those are just my observations and I can appreciate people may have other impressions. Our eyes are not always the best cameras.

[Hawkeye77]

[quote name='HoganAfficianado' timestamp='1393214076' post='8732240']
Because the majority of top professionals who played with Hogan said he was the best ball striker they had ever seen. Period.
[/quote]

Many say the same about Trevino, who is copying him?

The incredible ball striking I assume is the man + talent, not necessarily the "swing"?

[eightiron]

[quote name='Soloman1' timestamp='1393215379' post='8732352']
I saw all of them in person and I think Hogan and Palmer had the two fastest tempos I saw in the late 60's. I though Hogan's driver swing appeared very fast and the tempo much faster than iron swings. I absolutely agree that Watson's tempo seemed very fast in person. Nick Price seemed very fast to me.

Those are just my observations and I can appreciate people may have other impressions. Our eyes are not always the best cameras.
[/quote]

Great stuff Solomon , what was hogan really like , the myth , the legend ? How much curve did he put on the ball , did you see him hit any bad ones ? I saw Watson back in 96 and he didn't miss a shot on the range or course in all 4 rounds , he didn't win though !