Ben Hogan’s Secret
All great golfers have one move they consider the key to their swings. Jack Nicklaus, a great ball striker turns his head slightly to the right just before starting his takeaway. That move triggers his swing, enabling him to strike the ball powerfully. If you research the issue, as I once had a student taking golf lessons do, you’ll find the same is true for Greg Norman, Gary Player, Sam Snead, and even the great Arnold Palmer. They all have a swing secret that keys their swings.
Ben Hogan had a swing secret as well. If you asked tour opponents about it, they would have said it was his cupped left wrist-a move Hogan once highlighted in Life Magazine. And for years that was thought to be his secret. But while that move was critical to Hogan’s swing, it was only part of why he’s one of the best ball strikers ever. The other part was his right knee-the correct functioning of which enabled him to hit the ball with power and precision.
Hogan’s Cupped Wrist
Hogan explained in the Life Magazine article that his “secret” was cupping his left wrist at the top of his swing, so that his wrist joint was slightly bent inward at the top of his swing. Hogan was truthful when he emphasized the cupping of his wrist. But, as he was later to reveal to a friend, it was only part of the story. The other part was the correct functioning of his right knee. The wrist was cupped because that was the only position it could assume based on the right knee’s position.
Hogan braced his right knee before and after the takeaway, allowing it to be made with perfect balance. He maintained this position from address all the way to the top of the backswing. This move, in turn, allowed him to set the club at the top of the backswing and control the transition from backswing to downswing while maintaining balance. The right knee might sway from right to left but it would never straighten completely. When he wanted to hit the ball harder, he “ran” his right knee toward the ball.
Running His Knee At the Ball
What did Hogan mean when he said he ran his right knee at the ball? On the downswing, Hogan’s first move was to push the knee inward toward the ball. This move resulted in the lateral shifting and opening of his left hip. His only thought at the time, said Hogan, was on the right knee dropping in at the ball, which he referred to as “running at the ball.” The harder hit wanted to hit the ball, the faster he ran his knee at the ball.
By running his right knee, Hogan could generate terrific speed in his lower body. His right knee, as he later explained, moved so emphatically to the left on full shots, the knee would sometimes appear to overtake his left knee on the follow through. However, the speed was adjustable. By running his knee at different speeds, Hogan was able to control the amount of force he expended through impact.
Hogan’s secret move, however, was only a prelude to the real issue: the delivery of the club back to the ball. That was really the main objective as far as Hogan was concerned. Why? Because it provided the balance and control he needed to achieve the type of ball flight he desired. And balance and control were a big part of why he won 63 pro tournaments and 9 majors, including the Masters twice.
The secret to Hogan’s powerful swing, then, was the correct functioning of the right leg, with emphasis on maintaining the proper angle of the right knee on the back and forward swings. When combined with a slight cupping of his left wrist, this move produced optimum balance and control, and allowed him to apply as much power and speed to the ball as he wished.
Most golfers on learning Hogan’s secret will probably try imitating it. But they’re not him, so chances are good that even if they succeed in copying the move, they won’t have the same success that he had. So what’s the point of this golf tip?
The point is that all good golfers have a swing key. But the swing key is different for each golfer, as I tell players taking golf lessons from me. What works for Hogan or Nicklaus, might not work for you. If you’re serious about playing better golf and lowering your golf handicap, you’ll work on discovering what your swing key is. And that only comes through playing and practicing.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
October 21st, 2007 at 2:24 am
The points in your article have been printed many times over the years,however they do not offer any answers as to how hogan achieved his impact position .When Hogan told us how to achieve supination of the left wrist in five fundementals he did not reveal all of the so called secret.His swing mechanics didnt really change from early in his career, he only really changed his grip,he did shorten his swing ,but this was probably to remove the overswing that achieved nothing.I am a hogan fanatic and like many others have been searching for 35 years for this holy grail, at the beginning of october 2007 i discovered that extra secret that allows hogans impact position to happen,you cannot see this secret its to subtle i believe that both Hogan and the great Moe Norman had it and that it was a contious thing they both did within the swing.Iknow i have it,ive proved it to myself over many practice balls since that date.It came to me in an instant and was like a win on the lottery.Sorry i cant share it with you,i am currently looking at my options. thanks peter in the uk. P.S. ive never been more sure of anything in my whole life.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Why Write an eBook?…
It’s not true that everything that has been said has already been written. The whole universe has changed. Technology and ideas have changed, and the mindsets of entire nations have changed….
June 19th, 2008 at 2:20 am
The cupped wrist allows sightly more wrist cock at the top. The firm right knee torques the leg causing the hip move backward and then slightly toward the target. This sets up a lower and more inside swing path which Hogan initiated by shifting the lower body toward the target. The hands lowered and the hips, torso and shoulders began to rotate. The key is to perform the movements in a sequence that puts the sholders and hands in the proper impact path. To accomplist this, after the hands lower, the left wrist is bowed 1) to maximize the right hand impact hindge 2) align the shaft and club-head with the sholders 3) strike from the inside. If you do all this and then run the right knee at the ball during impact, the sholders, arms and hands stay on path a little longer - it actually prevents the hips from rotating too much.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The cupped wrist, braced right knee and accentuation of the lower body are I’m sure key points to 1 to 2 percent of golfers who are 2 handicaps or less. To me, the primary thing for 98 percent of amateur golfers is the supination of the left wrist. If you hit a ball with a bowed or flat left wrist (right-handed people), you can still hit a ball well even if you are up to your waist in solid cement. How else can you explain trick-shot artists who can hit drivers 250 yards from their knees? Don’t tell me the legs are doing the work there.