Ben Hogan 1953 Tamerisk slow motion by Carl Welty

[MrLuigiFercotti]

Yes, Hogan is awesome, but that doesn't mean his swing the best one for you. For example, Hogan was not a big guy, so he used a lot of down-cock to create lag and power. However, not many have the wrist flexibility (I sure don't) and strength to make that move, not to mention the ability to hit the release point so precisely as he did. That doesn't mean there isn't much than can learned from Hogan, but  beware of imitation.

[thatwilldonicely]

@MrLuigiFercotti thats it, Hogans swing is awesome, but boobs like me tried to copy it, resulting in disaster

his incredible hip/torso action results in lesser mortals spinning themselves into space!! i would imagine his wrists/forearms/hands were as 'strong as steel', he dropped the club' flat swing and smashed the ball with his particular 'weak' open face grip to produce the classic power fade, Faldo rebuilt his swing to do the same thing

[Hexznutznig]

Welty are you friends with Jim Flick, I thought I heard him say your name in my Ben Hogan Legacy Video the Swing Revealed?

[telescope3]

It really doesn't matter whether this one or that one's swing is prettier or "more fluid" than the other one. These men were professional tournament golfers, not entrants in a beauty contest. The only thing that matters is how well they played and if they went home in "in the money" on any given weekend.

[kankrah15]

Tell me it is a joke that some of you are actually saying that Ernie Els has a better swing than Hogan! Every other golfer's swing looks contrived next to Hogan's. Use your eyes! His action was like the cracking of a whip or a rubber band winding and snapping back. He has the most fluid and organic swing that I have ever seen. Sam Snead comes closest--just as fluid--but his dynamics were not as electric as Hogan's.

[fayette202]

@kankrah15 I think Snead's swing is more fluid than Mr. Hogan's—the difference being that Snead was a naturally-gifted athlete. Mr. Hogan was probably not as blessed with natural ability, plus, after his accident he played in constant pain and impaired vision, so he had to work twice as hard to make up for it. To me, Mr. Hogan's swing is more machine-like, so as to not break down under tournament pressure. But If I could have anyone's swing, (alive or dead) it would be Mr. Hogan's, no doubt.

[stevepising]

at 0:20 his club is pointed absolutely dead at the ball. Ideal position - difficult to hit a bad one from there.

[telescope3]

@stevepising Agree. Notice how at 0:20 (near impact) the right forearm is an exact continuation of the shaft-angle (common to all great ballstrikers). What makes THAT possible is Hogan's shaft position at 0:18. PERFECTLY on plane. You could attach a laser pointer to the shaft and it would point straight onto the target line; possibly right onto the ball itself. Perfectly on plane = no wasted energy = maximum power.

[ninervhfan]

Are you kidding me ? How good was Hogan's swing ?? Awesome !!

[Weltycarl]

1940 to 1960 all of Ben Hogan's finishes in the U S Open were in the top ten. Carl Welty

[emncaity]

@Weltycarl

Yup, that's pretty good, all right. ;-)

I mean, when you think about the accuracy, efficiency, and control something like that takes, all the way to 48 years old...and then a 66 in the Masters what, six years later? From a guy who wasn't a big athlete to begin with (like some middle-aged players are who can bomb it)? Kinda hard to comprehend.

[Nightwing690]

@Weltycarl wrong in 58' T14, in 59' T30

[emncaity]

@Weltycarl

Yeah, I guess that's pretty good, all right.

And that's 1960, when he was 48. A decade after a car wreck that really did almost kill him. And he played well in majors after that, too.

The level of play from him, Snead, and Nelson really is incomprehensible to the adolescent-minded goofballs today who actually believe Tiger Woods invented good golf.

[shortstop20]

No, this IS the best swing.

[emncaity]

@shortstop20

Agreed, mostly. Love Els's swing--great tempo, although sometimes I think it's a bit too self-consciously low-energy--but I don't think it's credible to argue that he has a "better" swing than Hogan did. Ask yourself which one is most like to hit 18 fairways and 18 greens in a row. (I mean "you" generically; "you" personally already know the answer, obviously.)

[emncaity]

@shortstop20

On the other hand, I've never bought the sort of holy-relic idea that Hogan had the one true and best swing for all time.

On the _other_ other hand, I can't think of anybody who ever had a better one, or anybody I'd rather have trying to hit a 4-iron onto a green if my life depended on it. It probably isn't a stretch to say he embodied the human biomechanics of the most efficient and accurate swing better than (almost?) anybody before or since.

[EricTheGolfer]

best swing untill ernie els