The Secret of Hogan's Swing
by Tom Bertrand, Printer Bowler
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Book Summary Information
Author: Printer Bowler, Tom BertrandEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-29
ISBN: 0471998311
Number of pages: 171
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of The Secret of Hogan's Swing
Book Review: A great disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
I must disagree with the people who have given this book five stars. Like many of them, I believe Ben Hogan was - and is - the greatest technician the game has ever seen. This book is, however, a disappointment.
The book can be broadly divided into two sections. The first is an account of John Schlee's Maximum Golf school. It covers Tom Bertrand's work with Schlee, Schlee's relationship with Hogan, and his use of Hogan's techniques in his teaching. The second section is a breakdown of Hogan's swing fundamentals, including points that he hit upon AFTER publishing his 'Five Lessons' book.
The first section of this book provided an opportunity for an in-depth look at John Schlee and Hogan. It can hardly be coincidence that Hogan, a very singular character, chose Schlee - an equally singular character - as one of the few to whom he confided the secrets of his life's work. A thorough examination of these two men, their characters, and the parallels between them, would have been fascinating. It may also have shed some light on the nature of the relationship between golf and character. (I can't think of another sport with such potential appeal to character traits like obsession, perfectionism, even masochism.) While this is, at the end of the day, an instruction book, I would have loved to have seen the authors try to shed some light on Hogan & Schlee's characters through their golf - their approach to the game, their methods, techniques, goals and systems. It would have greatly enriched the book. It could have even added some depth of understanding of the techniques themselves. Perhaps most importantly, such an attempt may have given dignity to, and acknowledged the memory of, John Schlee. He deserved a better hand than Life dealt him in his last years. This book does not do him justice.
The instructional section of the book is at best, adequate. Much is made by the authors of their "tracking Hogan's secret" chronologically - which is nothing more or less than a quick run through Hogan's writing and interviews as to what he revealed and when. This section is not illuminating for anyone with even a passing knowledge of Hogan. Lastly, the detail of the swing moves and fundamentals themselves are set out briefly, with photos as visual aids. While adequate, they lack the flavour, clarity and depth that Hogan, Herbert Warren Wind and (illustrator) Anthony Ravelli employed with such skill and care in Hogan's 'Five Lessons.'
In short, this book strikes me as a magazine article that has been padded out with the intention of cashing in on Hogan's mystique and the obsessive need that golfers have to tinker with their swings. It serves as a pedestrian, adequate piece of instruction, but it's a missed opportunity. It is poorly written and it lacks ambition. It could have, and should have, been so very much more.
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