Hogan's swing overated??

Why is it whenever there are swing theories discussed there always seems to be a reference to Ben Hogan's swing (and the "secret"??) as if it is "the swing" to try and emmulate. In reality wasnt this just a guy who worked out how to stop hooking the ball and then worked extremely hard to maitain it. Funny how you never really hear much about the swing of the greatest player to date (Jack Nicklaus) as a swing of technical merit.

Probably because Nicklaus said Hogan was the best ball striker of all time (maybe he was just being modest and not including himself). Personally I have improved my ball striking significantly since I read Five Lessons.

I find it funny that people always talk about Hogan's swing but the swing that people are trying to teach don't really look like the swing I see in Hogan's book.

I don't think Nicklaus would have passed Hogan had it not been for the accident. The guy was unreal and would have probably won 10 more majors pretty easily. He almost won a few even with his legs severly damaged. The one thing that went after the accident was his putting and that hurt him the most.

His ball striking was 2nd to no one ever...not even Tiger. He would routinely hit 18 greens after the accident but only manage a 67 or 68 because his putting was poor. So, when you are talking about the swing, his was the best. If you could give him a top 50 putters stats on tour you wouldn't even hear about Tiger chasing Jack...it would be Jack and Ben.

I wonder how much of the Hogan hype is related to the "secret" and if that myth was never instigated whether his swing would be held in such regard. I think you'll also find that the leading putters have poor GR stats and vice versa, so that is no real indication. Basically the guys who hit a lot of greens have a lot more 2 putts compared to the guys who rate highly in putting because they get up and down a lot. What if Jack had a decent short game how many more majors would he have won?? What of the swings of Snead and Nelson?? Take the mystery and emotion out of the story and I dont see his swing as any better or worse than a multitude of exceptional players.

wat? lol...

Greatness as measured by actual achievement not subjective opinion

depends on how you define greatness. but whatever. carry on.

Thats the point, there is no doubting Hogans greatness along with Nicklaus and many others not because they had the "best swings" but because they had something(??) that enabled them to perform and get the job done when they needed to. That should not be confused with pefect swings. So who is the greatest?? I'm in my 40's so Ive seen Nicklaus and golfers after and in my opinion I just cant go past Tiger for what he is able to do when he needs to do it.

There is no such thing as the best swing.

There is no exact model of a golf swing. There are general guidelines that people follow in order to swing the club, but there isn't a perfect model that people can use to say "this swing is the closest to perfection".

The best swing is the swing that works.

Hogan definitely had something special, his determination!!! He was told he would he never walk again and still won a major. His swing would best be described as consistant. Sure he was obsessive and grooved his swing, but it is textbook as far as technique goes. As someone who is 40 years old I figured you would all ready know this(no offense ). If you are really that curious about what the hype is, pick up "5 Lessons" and give it a read. It is highly informative and one of the best golf books out there. Check the "Reading Room" and you will see the members here praise it highly. Tiger is one of the greatest(and probably will be the greatest golfer), but Hogan is very high on the list with having one of the greatest swings to ever play the game, so "overated", I would say not at all!!

Hogan is known as being one of the best ballstrikers there has ever been, so its only natural that people want to emulate his swing.

How do we define ballstriking? What is it (not the PGA stat version) and what is it a reflection of? Is it good technique or practice or concentration or a combination of all 3. It is a term that is used a lot in golf but one that is difficult to describe. Why was Hogan such a good "ballstriker"? How important is it in the overall quest to become a good/great golfer? Who are the best ballstrikers of the modern era and how do they rate in terms of success/achievement within the professional game?

Ballstriking is someone who hits it straight, is consistent and rarely misses a shot, someone like Jim Furyk, and involves all 3 of your listed requirements I would say being a good ballstriker is very important for longevity on tour.

i dont ever hear about hogan

How dare you! You are going to golf hell for this one.

Im already there!! Trying to play to an 8 handicap and not being able to putt!! But seriously, what is so technically unique and outstanding about Ben Hogan's swing compared to other greats of the game ala Jones, Snead, Nelson to mention a few. Surely to win as these others have done they must have also been exceptional ball strikers. Was there a secret to his swing or is that part of the legend?

I do believe that body type, different combinations of strength and flexibility mean that no one swing is the perfect model. Also as equipment changes swing elements are adjusted. Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods all had swings that matched up to the equipment and playing conditions of their time. Given all that Hogans ability to repeat his swing and control the golf ball was exceptional. If you haven't played balata balls, with persiminon woods and tiny blades you have no idea how hard it was to get woods and long irons up and hit them straight. For what its worth that is why saying any one player is the best of all time is sort of silly. The most one can be is the best player a given era. Would Tiger have won as many majors if more of them were stroke play? Maybe? possibly even probably, but unless players are going head to head under identical conditions forget it. Would you compare pole vaulters from past using wood or steel to 2008 with composite"s, etc.

it has nothing to do with secrets and such...most of that is hype. What makes him the best swing/ball striker is the stats that back up his near perfection hitting fairways and greens. we're not talking about overall game here...that is where Tiger and Jack distance themselves. Your topic is pure swing and results...which is where Hogan distanced himself. He continually played near flawless golf tee to green with his swing and was able to repeat it over and over again. That's why I would put his swing above anyone else. He consistently kept it on plane and would hit shots consistently within feet of where he aimed. If Tiger had Hogan's tee to green game, he'd have a scoring average under 65 I would imagine and would never lose a major...ever.