Picked up Hogan's 5 Fundamentals...

[Augster]

And I've got a lot of work to do. Ugh.

Where has this book been my whole golfing life??? LOL! Oh yeah, it was first published in '57, so I guess it's been around.

Seriously, if you haven't read it, read it and learn. I have gleaned more about the grip and posture in the first 50 pages than I have from countless books, many lessons, and lot of playing and practice (trial and error). If only I had STARTED with this book. There is plenty wrong with my grip and setup, and I have been playing for 10 years and play to a 6. Ugh.

I am so pissed at myself right now for not picking up this book until now. All this wasted time learning the wrong stuff has got me quite agitated and I'm mainly on here to vent.

It's not like he saying in the book, "I'm the greatest. Do "this" because I say so and you'll play like me." It's not like that at all. He absolutely explains every reason for doing something he says to do. And it all makes perfect sense. And I'm not doing any of it and now must relearn the golf swing "correctly".

Lets go over a few things I have F'd up in only the first 50 pages, the first 2 lessons mind you. My left hand in the grip had the shaft splitting the palm. He says to have the end tuck under your heel pad. My that feels nice at the top where I've always felt it go loose and re-grip.

The right hand, I was a little closer with. I had the middle two fingers gripping with the 2nd pad up from the palm. Hogan says the first pad. Different for sure. I'll see if it's better when I hit a range.

Posture. The INSIDE of your heels should be shoulder width apart with a 5-iron. I've always done the OUTSIDE of my heels. My that feels wide. And athletic. And powerful.

Your arms should be as close as possible. Okay. Your elbows should point back toward your hipbones and the upper "cups" of your elbows should point toward the sky and not each other. Shit. I do that, and now my arms are MUCH closer together. Ugh.

Needless to say, I'm going to be all ****ed up for the first few swings, AT LEAST.

I just think of all the money I've spent on instruction, and how much gear I've ho'd through, and how many training aids I've tried, and I was still not even close to these "5 Fundementals". And all the while, Hogan's book was just sitting there being ignored by myself. I just absolutely hate myself at this point for not purchasing it earlier and learning the correct way to grip and setup and get started on making a correct, repeatable swing.

In summary, please buy the book if you haven't yet. Do yourself the favor, buy it now.

I think I'm going to throw up, then continue reading.

[dave.]

Augster,I have modeled my swing on it.I have the Power Golf,I have McCleans DVD and I also have In Pursuit of Perfection.I've hit tens of thousands of balls working on it,if you want me to help trying to bring some of it to life,just ask,i will give it my best shot.

some tips.

get the grip and posture right,nothing else matters to start with

make sure your stance is wide enough,I see 99% of golfers with a stance that is far to narrow to really create power

Higans power came from the bottom half sliding and turning towards the target,this pulls the top half down,the top half DOES NOT swing down using any force form you,it comes from bottom half movement.he was 5'8 and weighed nothing,yet he was a long hitter

[Gary W]

Originally Posted by Augster

Where has this book been my whole golfing life???

My thoughts exactly. I have maybe 5 or 6 instruction books, another half dozen videos. They are all essentially worthless at this point. I was so frustrated after reading Hogan's book last fall that I've spend this much time screwing around.

[Big Brother Dunk]

No doubt it's a great book. Add Penick's Little Red Book and you're set.

Those two books are timeless classics.

[Farquod]

Originally Posted by Big Brother Dunk

No doubt it's a great book. Add Penick's Little Red Book and you're set.

I would add only Zen Golf by Parent. These 3 never leave my nightstand.

[Bravo]

Aug:

When I adoped the Hogan method a couple of years ago, I played the best golf of my life. I think I remember that he devoted 16 pages to the grip alone.

BTW - I have a video by Jim McLean on the Hogan book that I recorded off TGC. I can dump it to DVD for you and ship it if you will PM me with your address...

I am playing this morning in about an hour or so. Let me know if you want the DVD.

b

[Big Brother Dunk]

Originally Posted by Farquod

I would add only Zen Golf by Parent. These 3 never leave my nightstand.

I'll have to keep an eye out for that one.

I've got "The Inner Game of Golf" by Tim Gallwey and "Golf, How Good Do You Want to Be?" by Bill Kroen. Both books deal with more with mental side of golf as opposed to the technical side.

[Augster]

Bravo, you have PM. Check it out.

Thanks.

[Gomboman]

I also Tivo'd the Hogan/Jim McLean show from TGC. It was incredible. When I started playing golf, my golf instructor made me buy the book "Hogan's 5 Fundamentals". It's pretty much the only book I've read cover to cover.

The only thing that I've changed over the years was the grip. Hogan wanted you to hold the club in the palm and fingers of the left hand--against the heel pad. Most instructors today would tell you to grip it more in the fingers. I've switched to holding the club more in the fingers and it seems to help with my release.

I liked his comment about the average person being able to break 80 within 6 months if he practiced his method. What a great book.

[GolfDrillGuru]

Just remember that Hogan's book, was based on his swing. Chances are you don't swing like Hogan, so not all the material from that book is transferable to your game.

[dave.]

'based on his swing'

I suppose so,but you are talking about the one golfer in history who Tiger Woods reckons can truly claim to own his own swing,he ground it out from age 12 hitting hundreds of thousands of balls.Hogan didn't write the book with the view that its based on his swing,he wrote it genuinely,and without and arrogance,that his book was the ONLY way to swing.

But there are some anomalies,I agree.His drawings about the arms being tucked together with bands is misleading,Hogan didn't swing like that,although his right arm was tucked in coming down,it was loose at address.He said his belt buckle would face the target at impact,it didn't,and he said he started his downswing with a hip turn.Opinions are divided by most agree he didn't,it was either a lateral move or he started the downswing with a kick to the left with his right knee.He also made changes later in his career that aren't in the book,he pulled his left thumb up the shaft to shorten his backswing (which he figured out himself,it was taught the other way round) and he worked on a cupped left wrist,which he got from a braced right knee.He believed the true secret to consistent golf was to NEVER straighten the right knee going back.

So I agree,you really do need to work on his book and not just take it on face value.You have to work through the principles and get to understand what they mean.

[GolfDrillGuru]

Thats the interesting thing about golf instruction, so much of it is opinion.