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There's no secret to his swing. He hit a fade, and he practiced like hell. Byron Nelson was a better striker than Hogan, and so was Murray Norman, and maybe George Knudson.

 

I personally feel that Hogan's course management was the key to his success. When other people would gun at the flag, he'd aim safely to allow for better shot selection. He wasn't just a great ball striker, but an excellent thinker, and he played golf courses the way they were designed.

 

I'm a self-taught 8 handicap, and I don't know course management. If I knew it, I'd probably be scratch or better, because I can strike the ball well enough to play to scratch, and my short game is superior to most (My putting, however, sucks, I have the yips). So if I could learn the course management of a Hogan or a Woods, or even a Murray Norman (He always said good thinking good golf, this is what he meant. Moe's course management was different than most), I'd easily make it to scratch or better.

 

Hogan played the course, he didn't just work on his swing. In fact he said practice rounds were the best type of practice, because it allowed you to see the course in advance before the tournament started. Hogan really didn't care much about his swing, he cared more about playing golf correctly.

 

I've seen terrible swings play par golf or better. I once witnessed an elderly man shoot 70 (2 under) on a breezy day in the cold, and his swing was really seriously ugly. It had a loop to it, and he rushed his downswing and faded the ball. Thing is he played for the fade, and had an excellent short game and putting. Most of all, he had good course management. I never saw him hit a shot he didn't think he could play, and he always seemed to leave himself away from the short side of the hole when he missed. He placed his shots so well, that's mainly why he plays to a +2 handicap and finds himself beating these young kids consistently who think they're going to be on tour someday. Really shocked me back into reality when I realized that if this guy can beat these kids who think they're going to turn professional, and he's well past his prime, with a hideous golf swing, then the swing doesn't matter. It's placement, and management.

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Hogan really didn't care much about his swing? He is known as the guy that practiced more than anyone, specifically on his swing.

Moe Norman and George Knudson are better ballstrikers? By what criteria? Hogan is known and acknowledged by the greats as the guy that controlled his ball better than anyone. What is more he did it under the heat of major championship conditions and not driving range exhibitions. Knudson was one of many pros who used to watch Hogan any chance he got. So to put this in perspective you think when all his fellow pros and the spectators are gathering around to watch him at work on the range or end of his round speculating on what gives him that ability to rarely mishit a shot you'd confidently say to them "not much to see here fellas, he's just good at course management."

An 8 handicap would be off scratch or better with course management. This is whack... imho.

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  • 4 weeks later...

There's no secret to his swing. He hit a fade, and he practiced like hell. Byron Nelson was a better striker than Hogan, and so was Murray Norman, and maybe George Knudson.

 

I personally feel that Hogan's course management was the key to his success. When other people would gun at the flag, he'd aim safely to allow for better shot selection. He wasn't just a great ball striker, but an excellent thinker, and he played golf courses the way they were designed.

 

I'm a self-taught 8 handicap, and I don't know course management. If I knew it, I'd probably be scratch or better, because I can strike the ball well enough to play to scratch, and my short game is superior to most (My putting, however, sucks, I have the yips). So if I could learn the course management of a Hogan or a Woods, or even a Murray Norman (He always said good thinking good golf, this is what he meant. Moe's course management was different than most), I'd easily make it to scratch or better.

 

Hogan played the course, he didn't just work on his swing. In fact he said practice rounds were the best type of practice, because it allowed you to see the course in advance before the tournament started. Hogan really didn't care much about his swing, he cared more about playing golf correctly.

 

I've seen terrible swings play par golf or better. I once witnessed an elderly man shoot 70 (2 under) on a breezy day in the cold, and his swing was really seriously ugly. It had a loop to it, and he rushed his downswing and faded the ball. Thing is he played for the fade, and had an excellent short game and putting. Most of all, he had good course management. I never saw him hit a shot he didn't think he could play, and he always seemed to leave himself away from the short side of the hole when he missed. He placed his shots so well, that's mainly why he plays to a +2 handicap and finds himself beating these young kids consistently who think they're going to be on tour someday. Really shocked me back into reality when I realized that if this guy can beat these kids who think they're going to turn professional, and he's well past his prime, with a hideous golf swing, then the swing doesn't matter. It's placement, and management.

 

What you are missing is that Hogan had a terrible hook for many years, he didn't know how to really fade it, without the double cross sneaking in every now and then and ruining his round with shots going OB.

 

The "secret" as he called it allowed him to fade the ball on demand 100% of the time with a swing that as a draw swing. Then, and only then did his ball striking become legendary. He states in the article the secret is probably worthless for the average guy who slices to start with, it's for high level players with strong hand action swinging on plane or a but inside out., hitting big draws and hooks.

 

Knudson and Moe emulated Hogan, not vice versa.

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Ping G410 3, 5 and 7 wood

Ping G410 5 hybrid-not much use.  
Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal. 5-G
Vokey 54.10, 2009 58.12 M, Testing TM MG2 60* TW grind and MG3 56* TW grind.  Or Ping Glide Stealth, 54,58 SS.  
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  • 1 month later...

 

Actually the secret to golf IS PUTTING.

Ping G400 Testing G410.  10.5 set at small -
Ping G410 3, 5 and 7 wood

Ping G410 5 hybrid-not much use.  
Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal. 5-G
Vokey 54.10, 2009 58.12 M, Testing TM MG2 60* TW grind and MG3 56* TW grind.  Or Ping Glide Stealth, 54,58 SS.  
Odyssey Pro #1 black
Hoofer, Ecco, Bushnell
ProV1x-mostly
 

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Would you try to cup back that left wrist?

Would you try to cup back your right wrist?

Would you try to just push the club with left hand under by flattening the left wrist (like the Hogan waggle) but your right hand is weaker so left wrist still cups on top?

So many ways yet too little time to practice (for non-pros)

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  • 4 weeks later...

I don't know about the "secret" but a couple of things have helped me this year out of his books:

-starting the downswing with the hips

-turning the hips faster to increase swing speed.

 

I'm getting a few more yards out of each full swing, killed my slice and dramatically reduced skulled shots.

 

and DLYGRISSE-Yup, secret is putting, among the other dozen or so secrets.

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From Joe Norwoods site.

 

Two years is a long time.

 

Joe talked about Mr. Hogan a lot. He said that Mr. Hogan told him he worked on his left arm for two years. In his video Joe says Hogan worked on the upper left arm and shoulder muscles to keep his left arm straight. The left shoulder moves down vertically as the left arm moves horizontally back following the lead of the right arm around the waist.

Mr. Hogan worked on the extensor muscles from the left shoulder to the arm. The picture shown here is a swing different than what Mr. Hogan describes in his book.

It's classic Norwood. His arms and waist are at the same 45 degree angle at the top of his backswing.

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From Joe Norwoods site.

 

Two years is a long time.

 

Joe talked about Mr. Hogan a lot. He said that Mr. Hogan told him he worked on his left arm for two years. In his video Joe says Hogan worked on the upper left arm and shoulder muscles to keep his left arm straight. The left shoulder moves down vertically as the left arm moves horizontally back following the lead of the right arm around the waist.

Mr. Hogan worked on the extensor muscles from the left shoulder to the arm. The picture shown here is a swing different than what Mr. Hogan describes in his book.

It's classic Norwood. His arms and waist are at the same 45 degree angle at the top of his backswing.

 

 

Relax the left side, Left arm is at a mechanical disadvantage AND needs to rotate freely. Right arm support makes straight left arm a breeze.

 

AC

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No Secret. He (like just about everyone) tucks in his right elbow, comes in shallow and hits the friggin ball. The secret is he practiced like a maniac and repeated the swing.

 

You are right. That is one of his very pronounced move but I also noticed many low handicappers and professionals tuck in their right elbow and comes in shallow(many of them too shallow even). But many of them do not have the same release pattern as Hogan. For instance the most pronounced difference is Luke Donald, Ricky Fowler and Fred Couples. You can see how they flip the club face shut post impact while pointing the clubshaft straight at the target using their superb natural talent and hand-eye coordination while Hogan club face stays super square to the swing path well past impact and the clubshaft seems like its attached to his belly button both for draw and fade shots. I just think there must be something that he focuses on to be able to produce this swing mechanics consistently is all :blush2:

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Hogan’s practice diligence certainly was an important part of his success but it did not cure the occasional hook that crept into his game. The “secret” that finally gave him his ultimate control of the ball is the one he found after returning home in the summer of 1947 in between the PGA Championship and George May’s tournament. It was not the “cup” as that was present in pre-secret swings as previously documented in this thread.

 

After endless experimentation, Hogan had an idea one evening and discovered that it “worked like a charm “ in one range session the next day. He had finally figured out a way to get control of the clubface with the use of grip pressures that he alluded to in 5L. To my knowledge, he never publicly revealed the specific application of the right hand pressures ... therein lies his “secret”, IMO.

 

The first “clue” that he gave was on the dust jacket of his first edition of 5L ... his focused stare on the two middle fingers of the right hand. “It’s easy to see if you know where to look!”

 

 

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Hogans right hand grip would be primarily form the ring & middle finger . The small pinky finger is overlapped & the index / thumb - pincer action was avoided

 

It always looked to me that he allowed the club to " lay back " into a soft index finger , May have started down feeling the ring - middle fingers only no index finger to push shaft

more pull than push - sort of a float load

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Hogans right hand grip would be primarily form the ring & middle finger . The small pinky finger is overlapped & the index / thumb - pincer action was avoided

 

It always looked to me that he allowed the club to " lay back " into a soft index finger , May have started down feeling the ring - middle fingers only no index finger to push shaft

more pull than push - sort of a float load

 

Great observation! The right middle and ring fingers PULL the handle down, out and forward while motivating the winding of the entire right arm clockwise or "under" in transition and the DS.

 

Keeping some of that CW pressure through impact counterbalances the last three fingers of the left hand turning the handle counter clockwise. The result is a stable clubface that is kept square to the clubhead arc ... no timing of the right hand climbing over left through impact, just hitting as hard with both hands as the shot being played requires.

 

Pretty easy for a skilled player to implement ... takes a single range session to calibrate the opposing forces.

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Hogans right hand grip would be primarily form the ring & middle finger . The small pinky finger is overlapped & the index / thumb - pincer action was avoided

 

It always looked to me that he allowed the club to " lay back " into a soft index finger , May have started down feeling the ring - middle fingers only no index finger to push shaft

more pull than push - sort of a float load

 

Great observation! The right middle and ring fingers PULL the handle down, out and forward while motivating the winding of the entire right arm clockwise or "under" in transition and the DS.

 

Keeping some of that CW pressure through impact counterbalances the last three fingers of the left hand turning the handle counter clockwise. The result is a stable clubface that is kept square to the clubhead arc ... no timing of the right hand climbing over left through impact, just hitting as hard with both hands as the shot being played requires.

 

Pretty easy for a skilled player to implement ... takes a single range session to calibrate the opposing forces.

Studying 5 lessons, I came up with a different possiblity. For the right hand, the grip pressure pulls down towards the clubhead. Stablizes the right hand nicely.

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Fan face open in backswing. Snap the face square and kept it square well past impact using his pivot. Most high handicappers let the club face swing past the hands which makes the face close at a rapid rate very hard to time correctly.

Would one not throw the shaft out with this?

 

You won't throw the shaft out as long as you keep the cocked wrists angle while rotating them counter-clockwise. This gets the lead wrist from cupped to bow automatically... i think :blush2:

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