The Hogan Grip Test
Day 1 reading "Mr. Hogan, the Man I Knew" by Kris Tschetter
He used the 6-iron as a walking stick.
In 1989, Kirs Tschetter was a college golfer with LPGA dreams. So she blocked out extra time to practice at Shady Oaks Country Club. She didn’t know that’s where Ben Hogan had retired—until one day, he offered her some game-changing advice.
It had been 30 years since Hogan’s car accident. His body never fully recovered. He was now in his 70s and his legs weren’t strong enough to play a full round.
But Shady Oaks had a 9-hole course called the Little Nine.
After lunch, Hogan took a 6-iron, dropped three balls in his pocket, and walked around. He’d stop now and then, hit three shots, gather the balls, and walk on. When he got tired, he used the 6-iron as a walking stick.
“Try weakening your hands.”
Hogan saw Kris practicing out there. Her work ethic impressed him.
One day, when she was struggling to control her pitch shots, he said, “Try weakening your hands.”
Kris froze. Had Ben Hogan just given her a tip?
He repositioned her hands slightly on the club and said, “Hit a few hundred like that and you’ll get it.” Then he walked on.
The modified grip held her elbows closer together, kept her hands and wrists quiet, and forced her to swing with the big muscles of her body.
Kris says, “It made it so easy to loft the ball and land it softly.”
In less than a minute, Hogan had cured a lifelong problem.
“All you have to do is swing.”
Every day, Hogan checked her progress—and her grip.
Kris had taken lessons since she was a kid. No one had focused so much time on the hands. Hogan kept coming back to the grip.
But getting comfortable with a new grip takes time. Frustrated, Kris asked to see his grip.
“I watched,” she says, “as he slipped his hands around the grip of his 6-iron, checking the position of his left thumb before folding his right hand on top. It looked like his hands were home.” Kris realized she had never felt such total confidence with her own grip.
Hogan hit three beautiful shots. Then he turned to Kris and said, “Once you get your hands on the club properly, all you have to do is swing.”
Charles Swindoll said, “The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.”
You might be thinking, “Good story, but this lesson isn’t for me. I have my grip.” That’s what Kris thought—and she was an All-American.
Take the Ben Hogan Grip Test: when you place your hands on the club, do you feel calm and confident, like your hands are home where they belong? If not, Kris offers three tips from Hogan.
One: take a lesson. Make sure your grip is right for you.
Two: Create a reminder system. You might use a letter on the grip to align your thumb, or regrip your clubs with reminder grips that help you find your position.
Three: Use your reminder system to confirm your grip before stepping into each shot.
Hogan compared the grip to the wheels of a car. The engine and steering can’t do their job properly if the tires are off the road.
That’s all for now. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.