Ben Hogan's 5 Golf Instruction Book Review

Golf Master Tips, Ben Hogan's Golf Instruction Book Review - There have been some very good golfers, or for that matter great athletes who have been at the top of their game and regarded as the best in their sport. 

But for all of their ability they have trouble translating that success into a form that a novice in their field can grasp. That great golfer of the mid-20th century Ben Hogan was different. He not only was a master at his craft of golf but tinkered with the golf swing to the point that he understood all the working parts to it.

Ben Hogan's Golf Instruction Book 

His Five Lessons of Golf Instruction written over 60 years ago is still one of the go-to books for golf instruction. There are some novel approaches to the golf swing, and here I would like to point out a few of those amazing tips that golfers at any level can use. 

This is certainly not to tell everything that's in this book; that's what the book is for. But I would like to point out some of the things Hogan emphasizes in the golf swing.

• Gain distance by not swinging harder. For generating more club head speed to hit the ball farther, the thought process should be on a sequence of movements. Energy for greater club speed is built up starting with the hips, then the shoulders, then the arms and finally the hands. By doing that from the top if it's executed properly through the downswing there will be a gradual increase in swing tempo to the ball.
• Use of proper weight shift to avoid hitting the ball "fat". When hitting shots off the fairway Hogan felt the most common fault was hitting the ground first. He felt that golfers who have this problem should concentrate on shifting their weight forward in the downswing. This will almost ensure that the golfer takes a divot after hitting the ball off the fairway.
• Perfect lead-wrist position. Hogan felt that the position of the lead wrist was a major difference between good golfers and hackers. Getting the wrist in a bowed-out position toward the target at impact will allow for crisper contact, and keep the club face de-lofted for greater distance.
• Importance of swing plane versus swing arc. One of his last interviews he clarified his ideas on the swing plane. In his famous "pane of glass" mental image, he imagines a sheet of glass that rests on the shoulders and inclines upward from the ball. At no point should the golf club drop down and break this imaginary pane of glass.
• The grip must be perfect. This is one area that can't be almost right. Both hands must be firmly on the club and they must work together as one.

Perfecting a wedge can be a quicker way to making improvements is many aspects of your golf game, such as avoiding hitting the ball fat. The wedge has many purposes for your total golf game, and you should spend ample time practicing with it. Sean O'Kelly is an avid golfer and writer living in Chicago. (Sean O'Kelly)