Ben Hogan's Secret: A Fictionalized Biography [Paperback]

Bob Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 1997

Ben Hogan had a secret. Or so it is said. Because of Hogan's unparalleled mastery of the game, many have speculated that he had discovered some special technique, some change in swing or grip that made fellow tour members feel he was nearly unbeatable: A four-time PGA player of the year, five-time Vardon Trophy winner, and one of only four golfers to win all of the Grand Slam titles. Despite a near-fatal accident at the peak of his career, which left doctors wondering whether he would even walk again, Hogan not only returned to golf but picked up a U.S. Open title in his first season back. A few years later he went on to win three major tournaments in the same season - a feat no other professional has done before or since. Now Bob Thomas offers fans an illuminating view of this indisputable master. By interweaving historical facts with fictional techniques, Thomas offers a compelling depiction of the whole man, the technical perfectionist as well as the pure lover of the game. He shows us what Hogan found in golf, and ultimately what golf found in Hogan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Author Bob Thomas throws a soft, warm light on the life and psyche of golf's greatest technician and competitor. -- Kiel Christianson, TravelGolf.com Staff Writer

Thomas's fiction may be closer to the truth than any non-fiction previously written about Hogan. -- Tom Ierubino, Managing Editor, GOLFonline --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Bob Thomas is a writer and golf enthusiast who has read everything written by and about Ben Hogan, and whose portrait of Hogan has been authenticated by those who know and love the master. Thomas lives in Savannah, Georgia, and this is his first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan General Reference; First Edition edition (June 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028616626
• ISBN-13: 978-0028616629
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,681,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( H ) > Hogan, Ben

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Hogan's Secret - A Real Winner, July 25, 2003

By 

Golf Nut (Happy Rock) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ben Hogan's Secret: A Fictionalized Biography (Paperback)

Author Bob Thomas has a real winner in Ben Hogan's Secret. This great fictionalized biography of Ben Hogan is more truth than fiction and portrays Hogan as the man he really was, a shy, caring individual who tried to avoid the limelight. Once I started reading this book I found it very difficult to put it down.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Hogan's Secret truly depicts "The man behind the mask", July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ben Hogan's Secret: A Fictionalized Biography (Paperback)

Author Bob Thomas has written the first book about Ben Hogan that truly depicts "the man behind the mask". Stories abound about Hogan's coldness but nothing could be further from the truth. Naysayers should talk to the people who had direct contact with Hogan thru the various stages of his life as golfer, businessman, private citizen and devoted husband. They should read the numerous articles that were written following his death on July 28, 1997, especially "The Hogan I Knew" by Dan Jenkins, and other articles in the October 1997 issue of Golf Digest. Talk to members of Shady Oaks Country Club and citizens in the surrounding business community. Talk to Palmer, Nicklaus, Venturi, Kite, Harvey Ward and Byron Nelson. If you were able to do so, a picture of the real Ben Hogan would emerge and that man is the one depicted by Bob Thomas in Ben Hogan's secret.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, July 12, 2003

By 

tom fortier (Sterling, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ben Hogan's Secret: A Fictionalized Biography (Paperback)

I read and enjoyed "Ben Hogan's Secret." I too read the first chapter on the website and decided to purchase the book. I enjoyed reading about the camaraderie between Hogan and Bobby Jones. It was interesting how Jones helped Hogan believe in himself as a golfer. I recommend adding this book to any golfer's library.