The Secret of Hogan's Swing

Rare is it to find a master in any field, much less golf, and Hogan was truly a master. To have Hogan's insights and knowledge passed on to us in such a cogent and clear fashion, as Bertrand and Bowler have done so well, is a true gift to the world of golf. Being a golf instructor myself, I can appreciate the search for wisdom and, once found, the hope that it can be passed on and be of benefit to students. Aside from providing an historical review of Hogan's times, including his fascinating later revelations, this book follows the dream of a young man (PGA Tour player John Schlee) to become the master's student. His dream miraculously comes true, and as it unfolds we are given a wealth of Hogan's priceless, hard-earned wisdom. There is much to be gleaned in these pages for anyone wanting to understand greatness and how important it is to not let its vestiges slip through the cracks. The book's technical information is tried and true and provides a very helpful framework to follow to improve one's golf swing and golf game. I truly enjoyed this book! Ann Loughlin LPGA/PGA (Class A Golf Professional)

This is an excellent book about the legacy of Ben Hogan's legendary work and discoveries that revolutionized the game of golf. Like the ancient oral traditions of many cultures, the transmittal of wisdom from person to person, master to student, has been the most certain way to insure that real knowledge survives and continues on from one generation to the next. Here the authors have written a fascinating chronicle of Hogan, the master, passing on his hard-earned wisdom to John Schlee, the student, over a period of five years during the late 60s and early 70s. Schlee, a Tour player whose ailing back forced him to retire in 1978, later founded the Maximum Golf School and became well known for teaching Hogan's swing secrets to students from around the country. In 1985 Schlee met Tom Bertrand, an eager young player searching for the real thing, who became his student and later partner. Tom's focus was to learn, teach and record in detail the wealth of knowledge that Schlee had received from Hogan, much of which came after the 1957 publication of Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf." Hogan never stopped working, experimenting, and discovering more about his life-long obsession, the game of golf. And Schlee was the beneficiary of almost two decades of new revelations unearthed by the master and unrecorded until now. This book is as close as John Schlee may ever get to having his own biography. While the authors highlight Schlee's career (winner of the PGA's first Q-School in 1965, second to Johnny Miller in the 1963 U.S. Open at Oakmont, one of Hogan's less-than-a-handful of long-term students, developer of the long putter and clubhead adjustable weighting systems, pioneer of lightweight milled putter heads, and more), their primary purpose was to gather up the sum and essence of Hogan's wisdom and offer it to all of us. This they have done with clarity and simplicity so that any golfer can understand and use these teachings to refine his/ her game. For this purpose, Hogan's relationship with Schlee is important for what it yielded in practical golf wisdom, and the authors have covered that aspect quite thoroughly. This book is very well written in a simple yet eloquent style that makes you feel like you're part of a conversation with the authors. They look you straight in the eye and just share their story, like one golfer to the other. What Hogan gave to Schlee, and Schlee gave to Tom Bertrand, the authors now give to us as fellow seekers in our endless pursuit of golfing excellence. There's a lot of magic and light bulbs going off in this book, and I won't spoil it for you. Check it out yourself and be ready for some pleasant surprises and new understandings about the game we all love.

More than just instructional -- the first part deals with the author's association with John Schlee, a touring pro in the 1970s, who became one of the few people Hogan personally taught everything he learned over a lifetime of studying the golf swing. Throughout the book, especially in the last sections that deal with Hogan's techniques, Tom Bertrand divulges several interesting extras that Hogan did not mention in the Sports Illustrated series. The author felt he was heir to an oral tradition that he had to pass along to Hogan fans lest they be lost forever. The book is a truly bittersweet vignette, a rare glimpse about those who dedicate their lives to the best game there is: Golf. If you're a Hogan fan, this one needs to be in your library.

Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons in Golf", to which Tom makes references, was my bible on golf. I worked hard on using his instructions in the book, but had no one to talk to about it and no techniques to apply what he had in the book. Eventually, I was talked out of using it. Now, finally, I have both Hogan's technique, simplified by Tom, and a way to apply it. Tom has simplified what to do and how to do it. I am so excited to get back to the "Master's" technique with a simple way of using it. Thank you Tom and Printer for writing this book. I'm a little old to make the tour, at 72, but I'm going to get my handicap back down from 6 to 1 or 2; I'm convinced of it.

How was Ben Hogan able to hit golf shots with incredible precision? The authors provide what may be the best answers to date. Tom Bertrand learned about the Hogan swing as an instructor at John Schlee's Maximum Golf School in the 1980's. The school was a byproduct of a relationship that Schlee, the runner up in the 1973 U.S. Open, had as a protege to Ben Hogan. Of greatest interest to students of Hogan are sections dedicated to his "system" with over 40 pages of text and photos covering everything from setup to follow-through. Another chapter focuses on "five factors" in the Hogan swing essential to understanding his fundamentals. More than just another golf instructional, the book presents a mini-biography of John Schlee with both entertaining and sad anecdotes of this complex character. It also provides an interesting look at Bertrand's relationship with Schlee. While other authors and instructors have debated the "secret" of Hogan (and Bertrand and Bowler present a very plausible missing link to what others have written), this book is about the great man's "secrets" to ball striking. I recommend it highly to any student of Hogan and anyone who plays golf at an intermediate or advanced level.