Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf

I've been reading this off and on for the past year and a half because I wanted to learn how to golf so I could spend time with my wife. But she has golfed all her life and I've never golfed before. Like never. It's like learning how to swim, you can't just plop in the water and flap your arms. There's a technique to learn. And since golf lessons are expensive, I've been trying to self-teach so I can cram a lifetime's worth of golfing into as small a timespan as possible. And one of the books recommended for someone who's just trying to get competent was this one.

And it definitely helped. The detail is minute, but it's not boring. It's pretty good at describing what you need to do to hold the club right, make a good stance, upper part show more of the swing, lower part of the swing etc. What it's supposed to feel like, what you need to imagine is happening, how the parts of your body are supposed to move and work. And it all builds on each other--if you can get the first part down, the second should follow. If you get the second part down, the third should follow, and so on.

Understanding physical movement in books is difficult, but Hogan describes everything well. And there are diagrams. There's no chaff here. No name-dropping or brags about golfing at St. Andrews or how he created John Daly from a tube sock full of bourbon and polyester. I wouldn't say I'm competent yet, but this book pushed me a long way toward becoming so. show less

listen to me and hear me now!

this is not just any golf book. this is THE golf book. ben hogan dedicated his life to golf and so this is as much a memoir as a mini-treaty on the swing. the artwork is masterful. the analysis of the golf swing is what the science of the full swing is based on sixty years later. it's a must have for so many reasons! it's short, concise and hogan writes the way he swings ... with absolute clarity and purpose.

and, if you think it's out of date .... google mr. jason dufner.

i love this book so much!!!!

My edition ISBN-10 0-671-61297-0
Originally published 1957.

A classic of golf instruction, one however must understand the context in which Hogan wrote "Modern Fundamentals".

In his early days as a tour professional, Hogan was plagued by a vicious snap-hook (a ball which starts left and curves further left). This hook caused him to pursue the ideas that lead to "Modern Fundamentals" and develop a slight fade (left to right ball flight, which starts online).

Hogan's swing as he describes it is essentially an anti-left swing; he wanted to eliminate the left side of the golf course.

The average amateur however, generally suffers from an over the top slice (ballflight starts right, and curves further right)- the opposite of what Hogan did. show more Many amateurs attempting to copy Hogan, may merely exasperate existing problems.

That is not to say there is no value in this book, much of it is, as Hogan says, is essential to all good swings. It is the key parts (such as the extremely weak left hand grip) that need to be tweaked for different golfers.

Rated 3 Stars (03/03/11) show less

If you only ever read one book about how to play golf make sure it is this book. It has provided me with endless lessons and constant sources of the small improvements so essential to being able to play this highly technical game better. Ben Hogan was a master golfer, he was also a master teacher.

This is, by far, the finest instruction book on golf. The chapter on the grip alone was enough to change my game for the better by practicing it over and over one winter. The reason I did it over the winter was because when I tried to use it for the first time hitting a golf ball (after having such a lousy grip for so long), I felt like I was going to break something when I swung the club.

The great thing about this book is that it really lets you know where Hogan wants to emphasize something very important. Most instruction books don't do this nearly as well.

You've got to be a good or great golfer (or a very technical personality) for this book to help your game. Otherwise it will give you paralysis by analysis!

Clear instruction - I practiced the prescribed exercises and found that my swing went downhill really quickly. You really have to stick to it though - stay in the cognitive stage of skill acquiring and I'm sure I'll have a better swing than before!