Sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella wrote in his book
"Golf is Not
a Game of Perfect" that he interviewed Ben Hogan shortly before
Hogan's death in 1997. Rotella asked him "what is the Ben Hogan
secret?"
Hogan responded he had always told folks the Ben
Hogan Secret
was a weaker grip and a cupping of his left hand at the top of the
backswing. He said the combination of a weaker grip and cupping
of his left hand eliminated the nasty hook he struggled with early in
his career.
Here's the deal...
Hogan stated the reason he always said this was
because golfers
wanted to hear something mechanical about his golf swing - so he
gave the people what they wanted to hear...
The truth is that was a lie!
Hogan said it wasn't until 1946 at the age of 34 he
won his first
major tournament - the PGA Championship. Hogan started winning
majors
because he quit being so mechanically minded on the course
and began
playing by "feel" and trusting his golf swing.
Since his golf swing at this point in his life was
already fundamentally sound due to all those years of tireless practice in
the dirt, there was no need for him to think about his golf swing while
under the intense pressures of PGA tournament golf. Hogan began to trust
his swing - no more mechanical swing thoughts cluttering up his conscious
mind.
The result...
9 major championships!
He said the Ben Hogan Secret is basically the mental
process of transferring your golf swing from the practice range to the
course.
The fact remains that in the good 'ol days of the
1940's any kind of 'mental' talk about the golf swing was considered voodoo
stuff. This is why Hogan was so relectant to talk about any mental
techniques he used and be thought some kind of kook or witch doctor.
Hogan said these mental techniques of simply reacting
to his target on the golf course was like lifting a ton of bricks off him,
freeing him to use his subconscious mind rather than his ego controlled
consious mind.
Once Ben Hogan began to react to his target using the
golf swing he brought with him that day, his golf game took a quantum
leap...
Hogan learned how to score on the golf course!
Hogan firmly believed tinkering with your golf swing
should be done on the range...
Not on the golf course!
This folks, is the real Ben Hogan Secret.
John Lynch is owner of No. 1 Golf Book Reviews and
has published hundreds of golf articles. To read more golf articles like
this and get instant access to FREE Golf Tips Reports, John recommends you
visit: BenHoganSecret.com
