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Ben Hogan: The most influential golfer of all time

By Carter Mackenzie

May 26, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Statue of Ben Hogan at the entrance to Colonial Country Club during the first round of the 2016 Dean & Deluca Invitational. at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Statue of Ben Hogan at the entrance to Colonial Country Club during the first round of the 2016 Dean & Deluca Invitational. at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ben Hogan had more influence on the modern game of golf than anyone in history

Ben Hogan is alive and well and playing the Colonial once again this week. As a matter of fact, Hogan is alive and well and can be seen every week whereever the PGA TOUR stops. This week’s stop is in Ft. Worth Texas for the Colonial Invitational at Colonial Country Club.

I am aware the tournament formally known as The Colonial Invitational is currently referred to as the Dean and Deluca Invitational by the folks who run the PGA TOUR, but being Texan and having some reverence for the modern history of the game and the greats that made it what it is, I’m going to call it The Colonial.

The Colonial will always be held at Colonial Country Club, A.K.A Hogan’s Alley. Hogan won the Colonial 5 times. Hogan was also a native of Ft. Worth and Colonial was his home course, so it all kind of goes together.

Born in 1912 within months of Byron Nelson and Sam Snead it’s Hogan amongst the original “Big 3” whose influence had the most lasting impact on the game of golf. Ben Hogan is the father of the modern golf swing .

Ben Hogan’s influence is ingrained in the swing of every player on the PGA Tour today

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Hogan was known for “inventing” practice and worked tirelessly on his game. As equipment technology transitioned from hickory to steel shafts it was Hogan who developed the modern golf swing that has become the foundation for every accomplished player since.

Hogan developed a move that was a synchronization of his left shoulder, right knee, and left wrist combined with his set up. The Hogan move is relatively simple in theory. It is also capable of being integrated into the swing of players at all levels. Integration and perfection are two different things however, and Hogan perfected the process.

Hogan is still regarded as one of the very best ball strikers of all  times. His relentless and methodical practice habits were the foundation for his 64 Professional wins including 9 Majors.

In 1953 Hogan completed Golf’s Triple Crown as he won The Masters, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship in the same year. He won the PGA Championship on two other occasions, thus making him only the second player at the time to win a career Grand Slam.

Hogan’s career is even more remarkable considering he nearly died in a car accident in 1949. The injuries sustained in the accident had a lingering effect, limiting Ben Hogan for not only the rest of his career but his entire life. He was limited in how many events he could enter due to the demands of walking the course.

Next: Golf Waggles from Ben Hogan to Michelle Wie

As The Colonial Invitational plays out this weekend watch how the players swing the club. Watch how their left shoulder, right knee, and left wrist work together. The very move that got them to Colonial was perfected there by one of its members, Ben Hogan.

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