The Secret of Hogan's Swing by Tom Bertrand, Printer Bowler
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Book Reviews of The Secret of Hogan's Swing
Book Review: The Secret of Hogan's Swing
Summary: 5 Stars
A beautifully written book. Clear and concise. Golfers cannot afford to miss this book.Book Review: Another way to understand Hogan
Summary: 4 Stars
Bertrand and Bowler's book about the "secret" of Hogan's swing presents Ben Hogan as inscrutable, an enigma wrapped inside a riddle. The book is very well-written and Bowler is acknowledged as one of the best writers on golf. However, it suggests that Hogan can only be understood through the tragic figure of John Schlee, who, ostensibly, was the trusted inheritor of Hogan's "secret."
Unintentionally, the reader becomes much more interested in Schlee's personality and the burden associated with carrying Hogan's secret that one becomes less interested in actually learning the secret. When the secret is finally divulged - a greater concentration on the left elbow during the downswing - one can't help feeling that this information will barely help the average golfer.
All in all, a very readable book. It will add to the current debate about who will have greater influence on young golfers -- Nicklaus or Hogan?
Book Review: Inaccurate Information
Summary: 2 Stars
Hogan was never going to reveal everything. He was always going to give partial information, to make you think and work just as he did. That's why it's much more important to observe his swing than to listen to what he has to say. The author of this book hasn't spent enough time watching Hogan who, for example, exhibited a clear lateral move onto the left ankle prior to the turn. To do otherwise is a disaster.Book Review: A great disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
I must disagree with the people who have given this book five stars. Like many of them, I believe Ben Hogan was - and is - the greatest technician the game has ever seen. This book is, however, a disappointment.
The book can be broadly divided into two sections. The first is an account of John Schlee's Maximum Golf school. It covers Tom Bertrand's work with Schlee, Schlee's relationship with Hogan, and his use of Hogan's techniques in his teaching. The second section is a breakdown of Hogan's swing fundamentals, including points that he hit upon AFTER publishing his 'Five Lessons' book.
The first section of this book provided an opportunity for an in-depth look at John Schlee and Hogan. It can hardly be coincidence that Hogan, a very singular character, chose Schlee - an equally singular character - as one of the few to whom he confided the secrets of his life's work. A thorough examination of these two men, their characters, and the parallels between them, would have been fascinating. It may also have shed some light on the nature of the relationship between golf and character. (I can't think of another sport with such potential appeal to character traits like obsession, perfectionism, even masochism.) While this is, at the end of the day, an instruction book, I would have loved to have seen the authors try to shed some light on Hogan & Schlee's characters through their golf - their approach to the game, their methods, techniques, goals and systems. It would have greatly enriched the book. It could have even added some depth of understanding of the techniques themselves. Perhaps most importantly, such an attempt may have given dignity to, and acknowledged the memory of, John Schlee. He deserved a better hand than Life dealt him in his last years. This book does not do him justice.
The instructional section of the book is at best, adequate. Much is made by the authors of their "tracking Hogan's secret" chronologically - which is nothing more or less than a quick run through Hogan's writing and interviews as to what he revealed and when. This section is not illuminating for anyone with even a passing knowledge of Hogan. Lastly, the detail of the swing moves and fundamentals themselves are set out briefly, with photos as visual aids. While adequate, they lack the flavour, clarity and depth that Hogan, Herbert Warren Wind and (illustrator) Anthony Ravelli employed with such skill and care in Hogan's 'Five Lessons.'
In short, this book strikes me as a magazine article that has been padded out with the intention of cashing in on Hogan's mystique and the obsessive need that golfers have to tinker with their swings. It serves as a pedestrian, adequate piece of instruction, but it's a missed opportunity. It is poorly written and it lacks ambition. It could have, and should have, been so very much more.
Book Review: The Secret of Hogans Swing
Summary: 1 Stars
The Secret of Hogans Swing
I will be sending this book back. If you really want to know the secret that Ben Hogan used to correct his hook read The Plane Truth for golfers Master class by Jim Hardy. The people who wrote this book seem not to have noticed when Hogan corrected his hook he no longer moved his right elbow in front of his hip. That is the move that caused the quick violent release that created his hook when his timing was off. I am a scratch player and full time instructor and use Jim Hardy's Plane Truth books to great advantage in my coaching and teaching. Don't waste your money or your time on this book unless ou want to develope a hook your self. Buy either of the Plane Truth books or get the Stack and Tilt information if you want to develope a strong modern move. Ths book is just Hogans fundimentals rewritten by someone else and who did't do enough research to get Hogans final swing correct.