Ben Hogan’s Power Golf: Classic Swing Breakdown

Many and many books cover golf and all its points.  If you are looking for a book to cover the basic physical and technical aspects of the golf swing, Ben Hogan’s Power Golf is a great reference book.  I loaned this book in the past to a friend who was looking to get into golf.  I told him to read the book before his first lesson to have an idea before picking up a club.

Build Your Own Power Golf Table

One great tip Ben offers is to build a table based on your club distance.  Jot the distances for a regular shot and the max admin you have hit in the past.  A table might look like the following for part of your bag:

Club	Regular	Maximum	Minimum
Driver	265	300	235
3 Wood	230	250	200
Five Iron	185	195	165

The table will help you choose the right club in the future.  Update the table from time to time and especially after getting a new set of clubs.

Breaking Down a Power Golf Swing

Ben breaks down the swing by its backswing and down swing.  Ben looks at the mechanics of each to build a solid foundation to work with.  On the backswing he says:

The club head, the hands, and the shoulders must all start back together in one motion.  I you start them all back in one motion your re sure of a swing which will be well-timed throughout and with the major movements synchronized.

As for the  down swing, ben says there is an easy way to tell if you did it right:

If you have started the down swing correctly you have to hit from the inside out because the clubbed will always be approaching the ball from the inside.

What Sets Power Golf Apart

This book was first copyrighted in 1948.  Many passages mention clubs not used often any more or referred by the names within.  What I really like are the hand drawn pictures that break down each stage of the swing.  The details drawn give great examples to study.  The artist even included the bend of the club during the swing.

Buy, Borrow, or Bypass?

Ben Hogan’s Power Golf is a BUY book for your golf library.  When your game begins to slide and you are not yet ready for professional help, pull this book from the shelf and review the basics.  Follow up your reading with a driving range session.  If you still can’t fix yourself, go see your local pro.

Other Books by Ben Hogan’s

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

There are many about Ben Hogan.  Here are a few:

Ben Hogan’s Secret Fundamental: What He Never Told the World

Ben Hogan’s Short Game Simplified: The Secret to Hogan’s Game from 120 Yards and In