What clubs would Hogan play?

[DomenicC36]

Lets pretend we live in alternate world where Ben Hogan was born around 1970. He's been on tour for 15-20 years. He's 43. He never started his club company. What clubs do you think he'd play? I think he'd have a really classic titliest setup. Maybe like this:

 

Titliest 913 driver

Older fairways. Maybe some 906's

Older titliest irons-maybe some zm forged 2-pw

Probably the latest wedges. Sm4 or maybe older ones from a different manufacture he was with. Cleveland's?

Id assume he'd have a whole slew of different putters. A mixture of blades and mallets with a variety of grips.

 

What's your take?

[Flip4000]

Probably Ben hogan apex blades

[illest_golfer]

[quote name='Flip4000' timestamp='1378851092' post='7828377']
Probably Ben hogan apex blades
[/quote]

I agree with you...and it would be trip to.

[MotoSD]

Id say titleist or mizuno...but if he got caught up in the high paying endorsement deals...probably taylormade or callaway.

[HiSpeed48]

TM most likely

[313]

callaway apex, of course

[Froth]

Hogan played his irons at like 51-53° Lie angle, so...Nothing made today would work for him. People played differently in his days, he swung differently.

[quote name='DomenicC36' timestamp='1378850369' post='7828303']
Probably the latest wedges. Sm4 or maybe older ones from a different manufacture he was with. Cleveland's?
[/quote]
Hogan hated new wedges, even in his days - He proclaimed that older "experienced" wedges just worked better for him.

[quote name='MotoAbility' timestamp='1378865590' post='7829835']
Id say titleist or mizuno...but if he got caught up in the high paying endorsement deals...probably taylormade or callaway.
[/quote]
Hogan and an endorsement deal? Yeah, right. Hogan would have people lined up begging and pleading just to have him say "I like brand A" , He wouldn't have to play a single club they made or wear a single thread of their clothing.

He'd use what he wanted to, and if they didn't make it...Any company would be stupid to not make him clubs to his exact specs. He's Ben Hogan...

Bottom line, He was pure class... And with a Modern Driver/Graphite shaft and a Modern ball - I bet he'd hit it 400yds in his prime.

[highflyer13]

Probably something to get his ball airborne.

[Norboo]

Who cares...we all know it would be the company that pays the most in endorsements.

[richard t]

The man threw out the first production models of his own company's clubs. Did not suit his requirements. What do you think he'd play with? Hogan irons made specifically for Ben Hogan!

[PDoN]

He'd probably have a $200 mil Nike contract. I doubt even HE could refuse that.

[Golfer Girl]

Ping clubs are very popular, so he might play those. Ping g25's or i20's are very popular.

[dbogeyguy75]

[quote name='Froth' timestamp='1378866107' post='7829897']
Hogan played his irons at like 51-53° Lie angle, so...Nothing made today would work for him. People played differently in his days, he swung differently.

[quote name='DomenicC36' timestamp='1378850369' post='7828303']
Probably the latest wedges. Sm4 or maybe older ones from a different manufacture he was with. Cleveland's?
[/quote]
Hogan hated new wedges, even in his days - He proclaimed that older "experienced" wedges just worked better for him.

[quote name='MotoAbility' timestamp='1378865590' post='7829835']
Id say titleist or mizuno...but if he got caught up in the high paying endorsement deals...probably taylormade or callaway.
[/quote]
Hogan and an endorsement deal? Yeah, right. Hogan would have people lined up begging and pleading just to have him say "I like brand A" , He wouldn't have to play a single club they made or wear a single thread of their clothing.

He'd use what he wanted to, and if they didn't make it...Any company would be stupid to not make him clubs to his exact specs. He's Ben Hogan...

Bottom line, He was pure class... And with a Modern Driver/Graphite shaft and a Modern ball - I bet he'd hit it 400yds in his prime.
[/quote]

For a minute there, I thought you were describing the great Chuck Norris.

[Conrad283]

Ben Hogan lived and played in a different era and generation of men. This question is the golfing equivalent of Chuck Norris facts (I know someone mentioned Mr. Norris above)

[LittleLeftToRight]

Hogan probably could have gotten a billion dollar deal with Nike.... Rory got 250.

Most of the old guard were class acts. Hard to see that same attitude today. Tiger goes around cussing like a sailor. Imagine Hogan laying down the F bomb on live tv! The game sure has changed.

And yeah. Hogan would still be playing Hogan irons made exactly to his specs, they just might have had a swoosh on them too.

[dbogeyguy75]

I suspect his bag would look similar to Tiger Woods' bag today - a traditional setup. Brand is probably unimportant. Hogan was a bit of a gear head for his time. Metal woods have made the game, and club design, totally different. It's anyone's guess as to how much he would have evolved. Although both tinkered, their irons are and were fairly consistent. I also suspect Hogan had a great deal of "certainty" about things. I imagine that would have likely extended into his equipment. He would probably not have felt compelled to chase every new marketing angle. So, I will vote for:

Irons similar to what he played, but heavily customized. 2 iron through SW.
High COR 9* driver with a very heavy and stiff graphite shaft. Non adjustable. No gimmicks.
Compact fairway woods 3 and 5 with long bendable hosels and even heavier stiff graphite shafts.
A belly putter. The man faught the yips towards the end of his career. (Admit it. You weren't expecting that were you?)

If I must choose a brand, then I will argue in favor of Ping. He would probably have agreed with the custom fitting philosophy. Come to think of it... Maybe Wishon!

[Hstead]

This reminded me of a Hogan story where a touring pro approached him on the range and asked for some swing advice. He asked said pro what clubs he played and the pro said Spaulding. Hogan replied "Then why don't you go ask Mr. Spaulding for some swing advice".

[Mitchell]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1378873801' post='7830525']
This reminded me of a Hogan story where a touring pro approached him on the range and asked for some swing advice. He asked said pro what clubs he played and the pro said Spaulding. Hogan replied "Then why don't you go ask Mr. Spaulding for some swing advice".
[/quote]Said pro was rumored to be Gary Player, a story both told and denied by Player on various occasions.

Absolutely agree with posts stating Mr. Hogan would play a very traditional, classic setup without any flashy paint schemes, alignment aids, or adjustability.

[rebby]

If we're talking something made today, I'd put my money on Miura 1957's. Of all the irons out there these would most closely match Hogan's quality requirements while providing the look and feel that he'd demand.

As for woods, aye, I have no idea.

[Froth]

[quote name='dbogeyguy75' timestamp='1378870900' post='7830373']
A belly putter. The man faught the yips towards the end of his career. (Admit it. You weren't expecting that were you?)
[/quote]
I read somewhere that Hogan once called putting "boring"

[dbuck47]

Let's see, he would have begun his serious play right about the end of the persimmon era. If he was born in 1970, he would have been 20 in 1990, so being conservative but still young, he might have played persimmon a year or two. He would have changed to a metal driver I think though, at least by the early mid nineties, and once that bridge was crossed, I think he'd do what he needed to stay competitive with heads and shafts, but maybe not as far out as some. Maybe a Titleist 905T with a newer shaft? Probably something newer, but I don't know if he'd go for the adjustable stuff--maybe have them make him a fixed version to his specs.

In irons, I think Scratch golf ground by Don White, long irons through wedges. Titleist MB's would suit him fine as well, as would Mizzies and Miuras and others, but if we assume he couldn't be "bought", I lean toward the Scratch custom SB1's. Putter would be a Scotty Cameron--maybe a Custom Napa or Circa 62 Pintail.

The question is, would he have a hybrid?

[mocokid]

Forged blades, 5 degrees open, very flat, extra stiff, and heavy, grips oversized, turned to left (weak position). Something like MacG, which D White also griinded.

[esketores]

NIKE because they'd pay him a boatload of money.

[JustTheTips]

Clearly G25 throughout the bag. He was more interested in scoring well than looking good.


[quote name='DomenicC36' timestamp='1378850369' post='7828303']
Lets pretend we live in alternate world where Ben Hogan was born around 1970. He's been on tour for 15-20 years. He's 43. He never started his club company. What clubs do you think he'd play? I think he'd have a really classic titliest setup. Maybe like this:

Titliest 913 driver
Older fairways. Maybe some 906's
Older titliest irons-maybe some zm forged 2-pw
Probably the latest wedges. Sm4 or maybe older ones from a different manufacture he was with. Cleveland's?
Id assume he'd have a whole slew of different putters. A mixture of blades and mallets with a variety of grips.

What's your take?
[/quote]

[Arafel]

He'd be playing MacGregor clubs, and because Ben Hogan was endorsing their clubs, MacGregor would still be around or he would just outright own them by now.



If he didn't play Mac clubs he would probably be hitting some Mizuno MP-14's because they look so much like the early Personals his company designed.

[dbuck47]

Another slightly off topic consideration is that if he'd been born in 1970, by the time he had the automobile accident, there would have been ABS brakes and airbags, so the collision might have been less serious or avoided. Also, he would have been flying a private jet anyway, so he might not have had the crash in the first place. The absence of this event might have influenced the course of his career, and therefore his equipment needs.

[ebk]

What a great thought - Mr. Hogan playing in the era of metal woods, graphite shafts, etc.

I would say he would have started with a Wood Bros. persimmon driver. Heavy. Open face. Very stiff shaft. Low loft.

Now, probably a 440cc (max) driver with no weights, shaft adjustments or any other bells and whistles. Maybe a Cleveland Classic, or one of the JDM heads? Heaviwer shaft than most guys and very stiff. Open face, low loft. Lead tape.

Simialr idea for fairway woods.

Forged irons - Miura is a good thought. Mizuno perhaps. Open faces, heavy, steel stiff shafts. Lead tape. Very different loft progressions than average tour pro. And, he'd have a one iron (maybe not in the bag every week, but he'd have one).

Wedges highly customized. Seemingly weird loft progression and grinds. Several different wedges for different courses (this is guy who didn't carry a 7 iron at Merion because "...there are no seven irons at Merion.")

Bullseye putter.

And, he'd probably be top fve in driving distance, #1 in Driving Accuracy (probably around 80% with today's equipment and course conditions) and GIR, #1 in approch shot distance from hole.

And all the golf publications and TV would still be trying to get him to talk - yet all the pros would find him fairly approachable if approached in the correct manner. This is after all, the guy that [u]gave[/u] one of his early Hogan iron sets to a rahter obscure pro from Iowa. The wedges weren't ground to Mr. Hogan's satisfaction, so he promised to hand deliver them to Olympic Club in time for the Open, which he did. Jack Fleck went on to use those irons and wedges to beat Mr. Hogan.

He'd also make Vijay look like a slacker.

Oh, and Hogan was both a gracious winner and a gracious loser. He would be so today, and maybe influence others to be less crass.

[Blade Junkie]

No votes for Wilson Staff ?

I think he'd only bag an American iron brand, and it would have been MacGregor or Wilson who would have had the clout at that time to sign him up. I'm going with Wilson.

He'd have had a Driver and a 3-Wood, 1-PW, SW, Putter in the bag - all very traditional in design. Probably went with Titleist woods after he stopped playing his Joe Powell persimmons, but stayed with the 975D rather than anything bigger than that. After all he did win the calendar Grand Slam in 1998 with that driver in the bag, so why change ? Never the best putter, Hogan has alternated between the Wilson 8802 and a Tad Moore TM-2 for 20 years. His custom Staff Tour blades have nice worn patches the size of a penny on the club faces. Mr Hogan refused point blank to change them, so Wilson Staff Tour blades haven't changed design since 1980, and they still sell 5,000 sets a year of "what Ben plays".

Wedges ? Just the one, and still going with the JP II in 55 degrees. JP IIs have been selling by the truckload for years, and Bob Vokey helps fine tune the Tour versions in the Wilson Tour van.

At age 43, Mr Hogan has 145 career wins and has earned $300M in career prize money on the US PGA Tour, making his faithful caddy Scotty Cameron a very rich man in the process. Hogan's record of 29 Majors is unlikely ever to be beaten.

[kellygreen]

[quote name='DomenicC36' timestamp='1378850369' post='7828303']
Lets pretend we live in alternate world where Ben Hogan was born around 1970. He's been on tour for 15-20 years. He's 43. He never started his club company. What clubs do you think he'd play? I think he'd have a really classic titliest setup. Maybe like this:

Titliest 913 driver
Older fairways. Maybe some 906's
Older titliest irons-maybe some zm forged 2-pw
Probably the latest wedges. Sm4 or maybe older ones from a different manufacture he was with. Cleveland's?
Id assume he'd have a whole slew of different putters. A mixture of blades and mallets with a variety of grips.

What's your take?
[/quote]

Titleist woods.

Either Titleist or Mizuno blade irons (Probably Mizuno).

Vokey wedges.

Scotty Camperon Futura X putter.....belly length....

[super20dan]

founders clubs-they have class like hogan but i like the wilson staff post too