Ben Hogan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Hogan
Hogan in New York City in 1953
Personal information
Full name	William Ben Hogan
Nickname	The Hawk, Bantam Ben, The Wee Iceman
Born	(1912-08-13)August 13, 1912 Stephenville, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 25, 1997(1997-07-25) (aged 84) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Height	5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Valerie Fox (1911–1999) (m. 1935)
Career
Turned professional	1930
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	71
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	64 (4th all time)
Other	7
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 9)
The Masters Tournament	Won: 1951, 1953
U.S. Open	Won: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953
The Open Championship	Won: 1953
PGA Championship	Won: 1946, 1948
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1974
PGA Tour leading money winner	1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948
PGA Player of the Year	1948, 1950, 1951, 1953
Vardon Trophy	1940, 1941, 1948
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year	1953

Ben Hogan
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	U.S. Army Air Forces
Years of service	1943–1945
Rank	Captain
Unit	Fort Worth Army Air Field

William Ben Hogan (born August 13, 1912 – died July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer. Many people consider him one of the greatest players in golf history. He was famous for how well he hit the golf ball and his ideas about the golf swing.

Hogan won nine major championships in his career. This puts him in fourth place all-time, tied with Gary Player. Only Jack Nicklaus (18), Tiger Woods (15), and Walter Hagen (11) have won more. He is one of only five golfers to win all four major championships: the Masters Tournament, The Open Championship, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. The others are Nicklaus, Woods, Player, and Gene Sarazen. Hogan won his first major when he was 34 years old.

Early Life & Golf Beginnings

Ben Hogan was born in Stephenville, Texas. He was the youngest of three children. When Ben was nine, his father died. This made things tough for his family.

To help out, Ben started selling newspapers after school. When he was eleven, he began working as a caddie at Glen Garden Country Club. A caddie carries golf clubs for players. There, he met Byron Nelson, who would later become a golf rival. In 1927, when they were both fifteen, Ben and Byron tied in a caddie tournament. Byron won after an extra nine holes.

After turning 16, Ben couldn't caddie at Glen Garden anymore. So, he played golf at other local courses.

Turning Professional

Ben Hogan left high school early to become a professional golfer. He started playing in tournaments in January 1930, just before his 18th birthday. His first years as a pro were very hard, and he often struggled financially.

He didn't win his first individual tournament until March 1940, when he was 27. He won three events in a row that month! Even though it took him ten years to get his first win, his wife, Valerie Fox, always believed in him. They married in 1935. Her support helped him through the tough times.

Life-Changing Accident

Ben Hogan was at his best between 1938 and 1959. During this time, he won 63 golf tournaments. However, his career was interrupted by World War II and a very serious car accident. Hogan served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1943 to 1945.

In February 1949, Hogan and his wife Valerie were driving home to Fort Worth, Texas. They were in a head-on crash with a bus. Hogan quickly threw himself over Valerie to protect her. This saved his life, as the steering column went through the driver's seat.

The accident left 36-year-old Hogan with many broken bones. Doctors thought he might never walk or play golf again. He also had dangerous blood clots. Hogan spent 59 days in the hospital. But he was determined to recover. He started walking a lot to regain his strength. By November 1949, he was back to playing golf. He returned to the PGA Tour in 1950, just eleven months after the crash!

The "Triple Crown" Season

In 1953, Hogan had an amazing year. He won five of the six tournaments he entered. This included three major championships: the Masters, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship (also known as the British Open). Winning these three majors in one year is called the Triple Crown of Golf.

This was one of the greatest seasons in golf history. Hogan was 40 years old. He couldn't play in the 1953 PGA Championship because it happened at the same time as The Open Championship, which he won. He was the only golfer to win three professional majors in a year until Tiger Woods did it in 2000.

Hogan often chose not to play in the PGA Championship. Before 1958, it was a match play event, not stroke play. Hogan was best at carefully planning and executing a score for a round. Also, after his accident, playing 36 holes a day (which the PGA Championship required) was very difficult for him.

After winning The Open Championship in Scotland, Hogan and Valerie sailed back to New York City. He received a huge ticker-tape parade down Broadway on July 21.

Hogan's Famous Golf Swing

Ben Hogan is known as one of the best ball strikers in golf history. This means he hit the golf ball with incredible accuracy and power. Even though he won 64 PGA Tour events, his amazing ball-striking is what people remember most.

Hogan practiced more than almost any other golfer of his time. He once said, "I was enjoying myself. I couldn't wait to get up in the morning, so I could hit balls." He was also one of the first players to match specific clubs to exact distances on the course. This helped him control his shots better.

Hogan believed that a great golf swing came from lots of practice and repeating the same movements. He spent years thinking about the swing and trying different ways to hit the ball. Eventually, he found a method that brought him great success.

When he was young, Hogan often hit a "hook" shot, where the ball curved too much to the left. He was not very big, only 5'8½" and 145 pounds. This earned him the nickname "Bantam," which he didn't like. Despite his size, he could hit the ball very far early in his career.

Hogan's later swing produced the famous "Hogan Fade." This shot was lower than usual and curved slightly from left to right. He achieved this by using a specific grip and swing motion that prevented him from hitting hooks.

Hogan played and practiced golf without wearing gloves, just like another great ball striker, Moe Norman. Tiger Woods once said that Hogan and Norman were the only players who truly "owned their swings," meaning they had total control over how they hit the ball.

In 1967, when Hogan was 54, someone watched every shot he hit in a tournament. Out of 281 shots, 139 were rated as "well-executed to superbly executed." It was hard to imagine anyone hitting the ball better.

Hogan's "Secret"

In 1953, Hogan announced he had found a "secret" that made his swing almost perfect. Many people wondered what it was. One idea was that it involved a special wrist movement.

Later, it was suggested that another part of his "secret" was how he used his right knee to start the swing. Hogan himself later said that the "secret" involved a specific way of holding his left wrist at the top of his backswing and using a "weaker" left-hand grip.

He did this to make sure he would never hit a hook. This grip made the club face slightly open when he hit the ball. This created a "fade" (ball curving left to right) instead of a "draw" or "hook" (ball curving right to left).

Left-Handed or Right-Handed?

Many people thought Ben Hogan was naturally left-handed, even though he played golf right-handed. In his book "Five Lessons," Hogan said he was born left-handed but was taught to do things right-handed as a boy. He even started golf using a left-handed club because it was all he had.

However, in later interviews, Hogan said this idea was a myth. He said he was right-handed and only used a left-handed club at first because it was given to him. This might explain why he sometimes used a "cross-handed" grip (right hand above left) early on.

Famous 1-Iron Shot

A very famous photo shows Ben Hogan hitting a 1-iron shot. This happened on the last hole of the 1950 U.S. Open. Sports Illustrated magazine ranked it as one of the greatest sports photos of the 20th century.

Teaching Golf: "Five Lessons"

Hogan believed that a good golf swing had only a few key parts. If you did these parts correctly, your swing would be solid and repeatable. His book, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, is one of the most popular golf instruction books ever.

In the book, Hogan breaks down the swing into four main parts: The Fundamentals, The Grip, Stance and Posture, and The Swing.

"The Fundamentals"

Hogan believed that average golfers often underestimated themselves. He thought that if you had a correct and powerful swing, you could score in the 70s. He said, "The average golfer is entirely capable of building a repeating swing and breaking 80." He developed his techniques over many years of practice.

"The Grip"

Hogan said, "Good golf begins with a good grip." He believed that without a good grip, you couldn't play your best. The grip is important because it's your only direct connection to the club and the ball. A bad grip can cause problems with your swing and reduce power and accuracy.

Hogan described the perfect grip:

GolfGripC-1024x677

• For your left hand, place the club under the muscular pad at the heel of your palm and across the top joint of your forefinger.
• Close your fingers first, then your thumb.
• For your right hand, place the club across the top joint of your four fingers, below the palm.
• The right hand is a "finger grip," with most pressure from the two middle fingers.
• Then, fold your right hand over your left thumb.

He suggested practicing this grip for 5-10 minutes a day until it felt natural.

"Stance and Posture"

A good stance helps you aim correctly and have a balanced swing. It also helps you use the right muscles and gives you maximum strength and control. You should always align your club head to the target first, then your body.

Hogan's Ball Positioning and Stance depending on the club selection.

Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart. Your front foot should point slightly towards the target, and your back foot should be straight (perpendicular) to the target. For longer clubs, you should widen your stance for more stability.

Hogan also taught about posture:

• Your elbows should be tucked in, pointing towards your hips.
• Your forearms and wrists should feel connected throughout the swing.
• Bend your knees from your thighs down, as if you're sitting slightly onto a tall stool.

"The Swing"

The Backswing

Hogan suggested a "waggle" (small practice swings) to loosen muscles and help your hands and arms remember the start of the backswing. He imagined the swing moving under a slanting sheet of glass. This "glass" would rest on your shoulders and touch the ground at the ball. The backswing should be a bit steeper than the downswing. At the top of your backswing, your back should face the target.

The Hogan Backswing comparing the angle of the hips to the angle of the shoulders.

Hogan explained the order of movement: "hands, arms, shoulders, hips." The hands start first, then the arms, then the shoulders, which pull the hips around. This creates tension that helps unwind your body correctly.

The Downswing

Hogan believed the downswing starts with your hips turning. He compared it to a baseball player throwing a ball: the weight shifts, hips rotate, and then shoulders and arms follow. The downswing should be a bit shallower than the backswing. This means your arms and hands should come from "inside-out." The club head reaches its fastest speed just after hitting the ball, when both arms are fully extended.

Hogan's imagined glass plane

At the moment you hit the ball, the back of your left hand should face the target. Your right arm will still be slightly bent.

The Five Lessons first appeared as a series in Sports Illustrated magazine in 1957. It was later published as a book and is still very popular today.

Playing Style & Personality

Ben Hogan was known for his incredible ball striking. Even Jack Nicklaus, who saw Hogan play later in his career, said Hogan was "easily" the best ball striker he had ever seen.

Hogan was often called "The Hawk" because of his intense focus. In Scotland, he was known as "The Wee Ice Man" because he seemed so calm and showed no nerves during competition. He rarely spoke during tournaments and kept to himself. Other golfers respected him for his excellent course management. He almost never tried a shot in a tournament that he hadn't practiced many times.

While his ball striking was amazing, Hogan's putting was sometimes considered average. His putting got worse after his 1949 car accident, which affected his left eye and depth perception. Towards the end of his career, he often took a very long time to putt.

Career Highlights & Records

Ben Hogan won ten tournaments in 1948, including the U.S. Open at Riviera Country Club. This course was known as "Hogan's Alley" because he played so well there. His score of 8-under par in 1948 was a U.S. Open record for many years.

Hogan is the only player to win at least 10 PGA Tour events in a year twice (13 in 1946 and 10 in 1948). He also holds records for finishing in the top 5 and top 10 in many consecutive major tournaments. He is one of only two players to win three U.S. Opens in a row (in attempts).

Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, is also called "Hogan's Alley" because he won its tournament five times. It was his home course after he retired. The sixth hole at Carnoustie in Scotland was renamed Hogan's Alley in 2003. This was to celebrate his famous win there in the 1953 Open Championship.

Before his 1949 accident, Hogan was respected but not always loved by fans. But when he returned to golf just eleven months after his near-fatal crash, fans cheered him on. He finished second in the 1950 Los Angeles Open. Five months later, he won his second U.S. Open title.

After his comeback, Hogan went on to win twelve more PGA Tour events, including six major championships. In 1951, he played only five events but won three of them: the Masters, U.S. Open, and World Championship of Golf. That year, a movie about his life, Follow the Sun: The Ben Hogan Story, was released.

Hogan is the only player to win the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open in the same calendar year (1953). His 14-under par score at the 1953 Masters was a record for 12 years. In 1967, at age 54, Hogan shot a record 30 on the back nine at the Masters.

In 1945, Hogan set a PGA Tour record by shooting 27-under-par at the Portland Open Invitational. This record stood until 1998.

Hogan never played on the Senior PGA Tour because it didn't exist until he was in his late sixties.

Five U.S. Opens?

Some golf fans and historians believe that Hogan's win at the Hale America Open in 1942 should count as his fifth U.S. Open title. This tournament was held as a replacement for the U.S. Open, which was canceled during World War II. It was run like the U.S. Open, with many players and a large prize. Many top players of the time competed in it.

Awards & Honors

• A special room about Hogan's career is at the United States Golf Association Museum in New Jersey.
• He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
• In 1976, he received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor from the United States Golf Association for sportsmanship.
• Hogan helped design the golf course at Trophy Club Country Club in Texas.
• He played on two U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1947, 1951) and was captain three times (1947, 1949, 1967).
• In 1999, ESPN ranked Hogan 38th in their "50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century."
• He won the Vardon Trophy (for lowest scoring average) three times: 1940, 1941, and 1948.
• In 2000, Golf Digest magazine ranked Hogan as the second greatest player of all time.
• The Ben Hogan Award is given each year to a golfer who continues to play despite a physical challenge or serious illness.
• Another Ben Hogan Award is given to the best college golf player.
• The Ben Hogan Museum in Dublin, Texas, celebrates his life and career. It shows how his early life, including his father being a blacksmith, might have influenced his later work designing golf equipment.

The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company

After his amazing 1953 season, Hogan started his own golf club company in Fort Worth, Texas. Production began in 1954, making clubs for "the better player." Hogan was a perfectionist. It's said he ordered the first batch of clubs destroyed because they didn't meet his high standards.

In 1960, he sold the company but stayed on as chairman. The company changed owners many times over the years. In 2008, the Ben Hogan line of clubs was stopped by Callaway Golf. The brand name was later sold to another company in 2012. In 2014, a new company got the rights to use Ben Hogan's name for golf clubs, but it stopped trading in 2022.

Death

Ben Hogan died in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 25, 1997, at age 84. His wife Valerie died two years later. They are buried together in Fort Worth.

Professional Wins

PGA Tour Wins (64)

• 1938 (1) Hershey Four-Ball (with Vic Ghezzi)
• 1940 (4) North and South Open, Greater Greensboro Open, Asheville Land of the Sky Open, Goodall Palm Beach Round Robin
• 1941 (5) Asheville Open, Chicago Open, Hershey Open, Miami Biltmore International Four-Ball (with Gene Sarazen), Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Jimmy Demaret)
• 1942 (6) Los Angeles Open, San Francisco Open, North and South Open, Asheville Land of the Sky Open, Hale America Open, Rochester Times-Union Open
• 1945 (5) Nashville Invitational, Portland Open Invitational, Richmond Invitational, Montgomery Invitational, Orlando Open
• 1946 (13) Phoenix Open, San Antonio Texas Open, St. Petersburg Open, Miami International Four-Ball (with Jimmy Demaret), Colonial National Invitation, Western Open, Goodall Round Robin, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Jimmy Demaret), Winnipeg Open, PGA Championship, Golden State Open, Dallas Invitational, North and South Open
• 1947 (7) Los Angeles Open, Phoenix Open, Colonial National Invitation, Chicago Victory National Open, World Championship of Golf, Miami International Four-Ball (with Jimmy Demaret), Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Jimmy Demaret)
• 1948 (10) Los Angeles Open, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Jimmy Demaret), Motor City Open, Reading Open, Western Open, Denver Open, Reno Open, Glendale Open
• 1949 (2) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Long Beach Open
• 1950 (1) U.S. Open
• 1951 (3) Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, World Championship of Golf
• 1952 (1) Colonial National Invitation
• 1953 (5) Masters Tournament, Pan American Open, Colonial National Invitation, U.S. Open, The Open Championship
• 1959 (1) Colonial National Invitation

Major championships are shown in bold.

Other Wins (9)

• 1936 Land of the Sky Open
• 1937 Land of the Sky Open
• 1940 Westchester Open, Westchester PGA Championship
• 1950 Greenbrier Pro-Am
• 1956 World Cup of Golf individual; World Cup of Golf team

Major Championships

Wins (9)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1946	PGA Championship	n/a	6 & 4	n/a	Ed Oliver
1948	PGA Championship (2)	n/a	7 & 6	n/a	Mike Turnesa
1948	U.S. Open	2 shot lead	−8 (67-72-68-69=276)	2 strokes	Jimmy Demaret
1950	U.S. Open (2)	2 shot deficit	+7 (72-69-72-74=287)	Playoff1	George Fazio, Lloyd Mangrum
1951	Masters Tournament	1 shot deficit	−8 (70-72-70-68=280)	2 strokes	Skee Riegel
1951	U.S. Open (3)	2 shot deficit	+7 (76-73-71-67=287)	2 strokes	Clayton Heafner
1953	Masters Tournament (2)	4 shot lead	−14 (70-69-66-69=274)	5 strokes	Ed Oliver
1953	U.S. Open (4)	1 shot lead	−5 (67-72-73-71=283)	6 strokes	Sam Snead
1953	The Open Championship	Tied for lead	−6 (73-71-70-68=282)	4 strokes	Antonio Cerdá, Dai Rees, Frank Stranahan, Peter Thomson

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
¹Defeated Mangrum and Fazio in 18-hole playoff; Hogan 69 (−1), Mangrum 73 (+3), Fazio 75 (+5).

Results Timeline

     Win      Top 10      Did not play NT = no tournament
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1960 PGA Championship)
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

• Longest streak of top-10s – 18 (1948 Masters – 1956 U.S. Open)
• Most consecutive cuts made – 35 (1939 Masters – 1956 U.S. Open)

U.S. National Team Appearances

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1947 (winners, playing captain), 1949 (winners, non-playing captain), 1951 (winners), 1967 (winners, non-playing captain)
• Canada Cup: 1956 (winners, individual winner), 1958

Images for kids

• 

  The Hogan Backswing comparing the angle of the hips to the angle of the shoulders.

• 

  Hogan's imagined glass plane

See Also

In Spanish: Ben Hogan para niños

• Career Grand Slam Champions
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most wins in one PGA Tour event
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• Longest PGA Tour win streaks
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year