#64: Ben Hogan
Day 5 from "Got Your Number" by Mike Greenberg
The Golf Book Club: Every day, we share a mental game lesson inspired by great golf books—stories and strategies to help you think better so you can play better.
Audio preview (full audio at end of post)
“Tell me it doesn’t bring tears to your eyes to see a person do anything as beautifully as Hogan swings a club.”
When asked if Tiger was the best ball striker he had ever seen, Jack Nicklaus insisted, “No, no—Hogan, easily.”
Players who knew the Hawk say he remains the most intense competitor to walk a fairway. A friend once said, “His steel-gray eyes look at you like a landlord asking for next month’s rent.”
That determination helped Hogan return from a body-crushing, bone-breaking, head-on collision with a Greyhound bus. Mike writes:
“Hogan won 11 events after the accident, including six of his nine majors. In all, he would win 64 times on tour, the fourth-most of all-time.”
Byron Nelson’s secret.
Hogan claimed that he had unlocked the secret of the golf swing.
No one knows what the secret is. But to his surprise, he once found himself admiring the secret of a competitor.
It happened at the 1942 Masters. Byron Nelson admitted that he himself did not know the secret of the golf swing. But he did know the secret of winning at Augusta.
On Sunday, Hogan and Nelson were tied at 8-under. An 18-hole playoff was set for Monday.
These guys had a history and grew up on the same golf course. Hogan had never beaten Nelson in a playoff. Not in their caddy tournaments. Not in the Texas Open. And Nelson did it once again: he beat Hogan by a single stroke.
Afterward, reporters asked Nelson to reveal his secret for winning at Augusta. He said, “Always shoot for the greens and never go for a dangerous flag position.”
It was so simple, even Hogan had to admire Nelson’s secret.
“We forgot her parents’ permission.”
Here are some more numbers to admire:
Hogan won 52 tournaments in the 1940s. That’s the second-winningest decade in history. Tiger won 56 in the 2000s. But Hogan spent three of his ten years in the Army.
In 1953, Hogan won the U.S. Open, Masters, and Open Championship—the Grand Slam of his day which is now called the Triple Crown.
But his consistency might be the most impressive number of all.
In 292 career starts, Hogan finished in the top ten 241 times. That’s a staggering 82%.
“Strategy is actually very straightforward. Pick a general direction and implement like hell.” Jack Welch, Business Leader
We can’t all dig the secret of the golf swing out of the dirt like Hogan. But we can learn Byron Nelson’s course management secret. Hogan himself admitted that good course management is as important as a good swing.
So add Nelson’s secret to your playbook:
“Always shoot for the greens and never go for a dangerous flag position.”
Nelson’s secret is one of the few philosophies in golf that will never steer you wrong.
That’s all for now. Tomorrow, we’ll visit #82 which is owned by Sam Snead.
Until then, keep imagining what’s possible.
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Golf Fantasy Round
Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand
Hole 8: Par 3 (Blue 182, White 172, Red 140)
The perspective is misleading so do your homework. This hole is all carry over a tree-filled gully—and it’s uphill. Will you take an extra club or two? Also, notice the safe area on right. Tiger says know your misses. If you’re going to miss, miss right.
