Customer Reviews

Power Golf

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sorry to disagree with the other esteemed reviewers! I love this book. Not as great as his more famous "5 Fundamentals", but nonetheless still packed with valuable insights, and superbly written.

This was done before his great transformation. He had already reached the pinnacle of pro golf but had not yet suffered the car wreck. His swing at this stage was a classical, long, professional swing of that era.

This was written in 1948 and is utterly useless as a "how to" guide for a beginning or intermediate golfer in 2001. I'm sure that even Hogan, if he were alive, would tell you not to buy it as an instructional guide. It is, however, FANTASTIC for the scores of photographs of Hogan at all stages of his swing. You'll clearly see why this man hit the ball in a way that we amateurs never will and 99% of professionals never will. As someone else pointed out, this is Hogan's swing before his near-fatal accident and before he developed a controlled fade. Some of the positions he achieves are mind-boggling and completely beyond anyone without his supreme talent. For the best quality in the photographs, I'd look for a used hard-cover copy (they are still plentiful). Buy this, but only as a piece of golf history. For instruction from Hogan, buy Five Fundamentals or one of the recent videos analyzing his swing.

Although it is often overshadowed by his second book, 5 Lessons:The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, Hogan's first book, Power Golf, still deserves it's place on any golf addicts bookshelf. Power Golf offers Hogans wisdom on other facets of the game than the full swing, especially shotmaking.

The difference in the quality of writing can easily be understood because Hogan wrote his first book alone and the second with the help of one of the greatest golf writers of all time, Herbert Warren Wind.

I found this book to be a fascinating look at the way Hogan played the game and a great source for more of the clear practical thought that we found in 5 Lessons.

Ben Hogan, one of the great legends of golf, describes his own playing style in order to help other golfers shave points off their game. Numerous illustrations show every aspect of the mechanics of the game in great detail. Golf history buffs will enjoy stories from Hogan's career. If you're looking for a comprehensive golf instruction book, look no further. Chapters include EVOLUTION OF THE HOGAN GRIP, CLUBS ... SELECTION AND USE, STANCE GIVES YOU BALANCE, THE FULL SWING, TURNING ON THE POWER, IRON SHOTS FOR ACCURACY, PUTTING, BUNKER SHOTS ARE EASY, UPHILL AND DOWNHILL SHOTS, and STORMY WEATHER GOLF. Also includes EIGHT HINTS ON HOW TO LOWER YOUR SCORE and advice on MATCH PLAY GOLF.

Always interested in getting better in the field of my golf game, I read this book with the hopes of gleaning some useful information on the swing, and how to hit the ball farther. Hogan offers a breakdown of the swing, and it is easy to follow. Not only is the book illustrated, Hogan did a nice job articulating how to get better and hit it longer. One thing I found that was very helpful was in the last two pages, Hogan talks about course management, and tricks to saving shots when you are playing in all types of conditions. This was a very informative and useful section of the book.

There are many golf-instruction books out there, and this book stands the test of time, as did Hogan's golf game. I recommend it to any golfer.

"Power Golf" is an excellent driving range accessory. The book will no doubt be troublesome for the average once a month hacker whose bad habits have accumulated over several years. However, for the beginner or patient individual looking to correct poor fundamentals "Power Golf" will change your game. Not a good book to read on the couch. Take it to the range and use it like a "how to" manual. Grips, stance, body and ball positioning is what this book is all about. It WILL improve your game and get you on the road to breaking 80 consistently.

I found this book to be an exceptional "how to" for basics- grip, stance, ball position, ...

Contrast Hogan's basics in this read from his widely popular "Five Lessons...". There are notable differences in grip, for example. Like most of us, he continued to evolve his game and approach.

Both books are a must have. Power Golf was a great find.

Ben Hogan may or may not be the greatest golfer ever, but he certainly wrote the most influential golf books of all time. He more than anyone else established and propounded the fundamentals of the modern swing. Though some of the material is inevitably dated--younger folks may not even know what the heck a spoon is--most of what he says is just as helpful today as it was over fifty years ago.

This book is especially appropriate for beginners and there are three essential bits of advice that are all someone really needs to know when they pick up a club for the first time :

(1) The basis of the golf swing is a good grip. A good grip "enables the two hands to act as a single unit."

(2) "The first movement in the downswing is the turning of the left hip to the left. Forget about your arms, hands, shoulders and club at that moment and start the hips turning, led by the left hip."

(3) "My advice to the beginning golfer is to go ahead and hit the ball as hard as he can right from the start. He will be wild for a time. That's only natural. Later on he can straighten out his hooks and slices with minor alterations to his swing. But if he doesn't learn to hit the ball hard right at the start, he will never be able to get distance without a major overhauling, because his speed and timing setup will be something less than his full power."

That's it; that's really all you need to get started. It's a terrific little book, complete with quaint illustrations of a little golfer in pleated slacks and a sweater demonstrating the lessons. Of course, there is one more more thing that Hogan emphasized and no book will help you with; if you want to improve you have to practice, a lot.

GRADE : B+

Not Hogan's best but still some useful information. You would be better served to buy a more modern expose on the golf swing, there are plenty of good books about power out there. One good one is Power Golf for Women it is surprisingly excellent. Another although for the short game is Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible. Plenty of books to choose from but it is always nice to have the Hogan name in your bookcase:)

I think of this as the Bible for golfers, especially the novice or duffer who is willing to study and work at improving his game. Hogan's writing covers almost everything from the most basic considerations--grip, stance, and back swing--to much more detailed instruction. It won't replace a good, in-person teacher, but it's a great place to begin . . . and then continue. Any golfer can probablly take 5 strokes off in a few short weeks by going over the basics.