Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan was by most accounts the greatest golfer of all time. He is certainly the greatest ball striker of all time. The precision in which he was able to execute a great variety of shots has never been equaled. Although slight of build at only 5'7" at 140 pounds, he was very long off the tee and even competed in long drive contests early in career. Between the years of 1938 through 1959, Ben Hogan won an amazing 68 professional golf tournaments despite his career being interrupted in its prime by World War Two and a near fatal car accident. Ben Hogan possessed an iron will and fierce determination which when combined with his unquestionable golf skills, often intimidated opponents and playing partners alike, into submission. The "Hawk" ofter never spoke while in competition.

Ben Hogan was known to practice more than any other golfer in history and believe that a great golfer is forged by practice not naturally born into talent. He thought that an individual's golf swing was "in the dirt" and all one needed to do is dig it out by hitting enough golf balls. Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons, Modern Fundamentals of Golf" is perhaps the most widely read golf tutorial which is often plagerized by modern "swing gurus." The "Five Lessons" written after his prime, demonstrated his clear command and knowledge of the mechanics of the golf swing which.

In 1948 Ben Hogan won 10 tournaments that year. Tragically, A head collision with a bus in February of 1949 nearly killed him. With a double fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, left ankle fracture, a chipped rib, near fatal blood clots in his legs which also moved into his lungs, he would suffer lifelong circulation problems other physical limits. His docotrs said he would never golf competively again, let alone walk normally.

But Ben Hogan returned 18 months later to roaring crowds and gigantic galleries. Not only did he return to competitive golf, he went on to achieve perhaps the greatest sporting accomplishment in history by limping to 18 more PGA wins, including 6 Majors.