Who is that guy? Let's go see...

[Bantam Ben]

While practicing Tuesday morning at the Champions Club in Houston prior to the start of the 1969 US Open, Neal Dubin, a PGA Tour player, was hitting balls at the driving range.  His caddy looked up and noticed all the players and caddies were at the far right end of the range, surrounding someone.

 

Neal and his caddy got down to see who everyone was watching.  It was Ben Hogan. 

 

Over the next 45 minutes, Hogan hit about 30 balls with his 5 iron to a flag on the green, which was 175 yards out..  All 30 balls landed on the green, with about 50% on the right of the flag, with the other 50% to the left of the flag.  The farthest ball from the flag was about 20 feet from the hole.

 

Hogan hit a few more balls, all on the green, chatted for a few minutes with some of the players, and went into the media center and announced that his game was not competitive, and pulled out of the US Open.

[jordan2240]

Sounds just like my range sessions🤪

[Gsea]

1 hour ago, Bantam Ben said:

While practicing Tuesday morning at the Champions Club in Houston prior to the start of the 1969 US Open, Neal Dubin, a PGA Tour player, was hitting balls at the driving range.  His caddy looked up and noticed all the players and caddies were at the far right end of the range, surrounding someone.

 

Neal and his caddy got down to see who everyone was watching.  It was Ben Hogan. 

 

Over the next 45 minutes, Hogan hit about 30 balls with his 5 iron to a flag on the green, which was 175 yards out..  All 30 balls landed on the green, with about 50% on the right of the flag, with the other 50% to the left of the flag.  The farthest ball from the flag was about 20 feet from the hole.

 

Hogan hit a few more balls, all on the green, chatted for a few minutes with some of the players, and went into the media center and announced that his game was not competitive, and pulled out of the US Open.

You should post this in the Hogan forum over in Instruction

[JayAreOhh924]

3 hours ago, jordan2240 said:

Sounds just like my range sessions🤪

The going over and watching somebody else or announcing your game is bad part? 🤪

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

49 minutes ago, JayAreOhh924 said:

The going over and watching somebody else or announcing your game is bad part? 🤪

 

In my case, I don't even need to announce the latter. It's painfully obvious for all to see😢

[Bantam Ben]

Just getting 100% of the balls I hit on the dance floor would thrill me to no end!

[Bantam Ben]

3 hours ago, Gsea said:

You should post this in the Hogan forum over in Instruction

It has been done...thanks!

[jordan2240]

3 hours ago, JayAreOhh924 said:

The going over and watching somebody else or announcing your game is bad part? 🤪

Both.

Edited March 4, 2021 by jordan2240

[MattyO1984]

5 iron - 175 yards, what a chopper 😂

[TheDeanAbides]

2 minutes ago, MattyO1984 said:

5 iron - 175 yards, what a chopper 😂

It was modern 7 iron loft. 😉

[iBanesto]

That's a poor range session for GolfWRX members.

 

Missing the flag on both sides... get out of here!

 

[TheDeanAbides]

6 minutes ago, iBanesto said:

That's a poor range session for GolfWRX members.

 

Missing the flag on both sides... get out of here!

 

Yeah, I was thinking that. I never miss the flag with my wedge from 175.

[Ferguson]

I love threads steeped in lore.

[gvogel]

17 hours ago, jordan2240 said:

Sounds just like my range sessions🤪

The part about declaring that your game isn't ready for the US Open?

[stryper]

4 hours ago, MattyO1984 said:

5 iron - 175 yards, what a chopper 😂

 

Looks like me and the Hawk have something in common...hope that doesn’t my WRX card revoked 🤷‍♂️

[bscinstnct]

From what I see, Hogans last Majors were the 67 Us Open and Masters where he had very respectable finishes of T10 and T34 at the age of 55

 

The last footage of him I see in the 1966 US Open where he finished T12

 

It seems he was hitting the ball just fine but the issue was, as this announcer says, “but on the greens, he’s uncertain”

 

 

 

[Bantam Ben]

18 hours ago, JayAreOhh924 said:

The going over and watching somebody else or announcing your game is bad part? 🤪

In this case, I suspect (from what Neal told me) it was to watch, learn and pay your respects.

 

What a great video - the fastest shoulders in golf!

[The Mighty Atom]

Sorry, this story is not true. Hogan was out the entire 1969 season because of his left shoulder that was injured in the accident. In fact, he was interviewed at Champions during the 1969 US Open discussing the third surgery on his shoulder, that he hoped would permit a return to golf in 1970.

And, to top it off, there is no record in the PGA databases for a "PGA tour player" named "Neal Dubin," nor are there any hits on Google for a golfer named "Neal Dubin," other than this story, and no hits on newspapers.com for "'Neal Dubin' golf" for 1969. The story is a fabrication top to bottom.

[The Mighty Atom]

Oh, sorry. There is a golfer named Neil Dubin from Southern California. In June 1969 he was an amateur playing out of Hillcrest. No record that he played in the 1969 US Open, and no record of him in the PGA databases.

[powerfade66]

On 3/6/2021 at 3:21 PM, The Mighty Atom said:

Sorry, this story is not true. Hogan was out the entire 1969 season because of his left shoulder that was injured in the accident. In fact, he was interviewed at Champions during the 1969 US Open discussing the third surgery on his shoulder, that he hoped would permit a return to golf in 1970.

And, to top it off, there is no record in the PGA databases for a "PGA tour player" named "Neal Dubin," nor are there any hits on Google for a golfer named "Neal Dubin," other than this story, and no hits on newspapers.com for "'Neal Dubin' golf" for 1969. The story is a fabrication top to bottom.

 

[m d g]

On 3/4/2021 at 3:29 AM, Ferguson said:

I love threads steeped in lore.

They're steeped in something all right : )

[tiderider]

On 3/4/2021 at 5:29 AM, Ferguson said:

I love threads steeped in lore.

it ain't everybody's cup of tea, but somebody's drinking it ... 

[The Mighty Atom]

1 hour ago, powerfade66 said:

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by The Mighty Atom

[The Mighty Atom]

1 hour ago, powerfade66 said:

 

 This article is from March 14, 1969; I think it supersedes what you posted...

[The Mighty Atom]

1 hour ago, powerfade66 said:

 

On 3/5/2021 at 11:21 PM, The Mighty Atom said:

"In fact, he was interviewed at Champions during the 1969 US Open discussing the third surgery on his shoulder, that he hoped would permit a return to golf in 1970."

 

See below:

 

"It was at the Open in Houston last June that Hogan, 56, hard and tanned, disclosed that the third operation on his sore shoulder apparently had been a success and he planned to ask his doctor if he could play again."

Edited June 16, 2021 by The Mighty Atom

[Blonde Line Lizard]

Uhhhh, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this story 50+ years old and isn't Ben Hogan dead?

[TheDeanAbides]

2 hours ago, Blonde Line Lizard said:

Uhhhh, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this story 50+ years old and isn't Ben Hogan dead?

If you're asking that question you're in the wrong thread. Move along. 

[Ferguson]

Remember the reviews after the Lou Grant series finale? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Mighty Atom]

2 hours ago, Ferguson said:

Remember the reviews after the Lou Grant series finale? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No. What did they say?

[tw_focus]

5i 175 is pretty short, but maybe reasonable for 1969, I'm not sure. But today that's LPGA distance. Did Hogan pull out because his distance wasn't competitive any longer?