TIGER'S COMEBACK: HOGAN STYLE

Two years ago I published Hogan’s Ghost in which I dedicated Chapter Eight to Tiger’s comeback. Here is some of that:

As of this writing, September 2014, it is no secret that Tiger Woods’ lifetime goal to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Major Championships is in jeopardy. With Tiger’s recent injuries and surgeries it appears that he will remain mired at 14 Majors. Tiger’s last Major victory was the U.S. Open, June 2008.

At this point, I am going to draw some parallels between Ben Hogan’s post-accident situation, where he nearly died in a collision with a bus, in 1949 with Tiger Woods’ situation of 2014.

In November of 1949, when Hogan resumed physical golfing activities he was 37 years of age, and he had won only 3 major championships during the entirety of his, up to that point, 20 year professional career.

In November, 2014, Tiger will be 38 years of age when he says he will resume his golfing career. I submit that not only are they approximately the same age, but they are roughly of the same playing ability and talent levels all things considered.

“I was a much better golfer before the accident than I ever was afterward.” Ben Hogan

A diminished Ben Hogan, by his own estimation, came back from his accident to win the 1950 U.S. Open, and then preceded to win 5 more majors, over the next 4 seasons. Should Tiger replicate what Hogan did, at roughly the same age and after suffering major injuries, Tiger should win at least 6 more Majors. Shouldn’t he?

If Tiger does what Ben Hogan did, would Tiger get what Hogan got? My answer is yes, if he does what Hogan did, and my answer would be “Who knows” if he doesn’t, but my guess would be No!

Ok, so what did Hogan do?

First, Hogan learned that his “old golf swing” wasn’t going to work any longer. His physical limitations forced modifications to what he used to do. His injuries didn’t require a “new swing” or an abandonment of his principles. (He wrote the “Five Lessons” many years after this period of adjustment.)

“I used to go in on my left leg as much as anybody, or more. …I used to play the ball up and go forward to catch it.” Ben Hogan

So how was the ball striking after the rehab and the rebuild? Well, when he was 54, which was ten years after his last major win:

"Hogan shot 281 for a third-place tie. Of the 281 shots, 141 were taken in reaching the greens. Of the 141, 139 were rated from well-executed to superbly executed. The remaining two were a drive that missed the fairway by some 5 yards and a 5-iron to a par-3 hole that missed the green by about the same distance. It was difficult, if not impossible to conceive of anybody hitting the ball better over a four-day span." Cary Middlecoff

(You may have noticed that Hogan averaged 35 putts per round, in the above reference, which explains the 3rd place finish. The putting drills which are now part of “Hogan’s Ghost” were not part of Hogan’s practice routine as per his admonition.)

So what am I saying? Hogan “dug it out of the dirt” again, and so can Tiger Woods. All he has to do is that which works, and the golf ball will tell him what works!

“The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball.”  Ben Hogan

Second, Hogan modified his “practice” to accommodate his broken body. He became much more focused on “deliberately practicing” than in the past. He loved to hit balls, but now he had to be mindful of the toll being demanded for excess. He had to make each ball count for something, and he always wrote down what he was doing and how it was coming.

“I am trying to play myself back in shape. I just haven’t had enough competition. I’m hitting the ball as well as I ever did, but I’ve lost the knack of scoring.” Ben Hogan

You must be aware that Hogan played a very limited schedule after the accident. In fact, he only played in 6 official events in 1953, winning 5! So where did the “competition” come from? I submit it came from his preparation.

Scoring drills, as outlined in Chapter Four of Hogan’s Ghost, provide the repetitions to improve scoring skills, and The Advanced Scoring activities, highlighted in Chapter Five, provide the competition to sharpen those skills to major tournament levels.

Third, Hogan knew he wasn’t as good as before, and he knew everyone else knew as well. But what he knew, that no one else even suspected, was that he didn’t have to be as good as he once was. He just had to be good enough.

“Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is 80% of winning golf.”  Ben Hogan

In Chapter Six of Hogan’s Ghost, I disclosed the true secret to Hogan’s greatness. As a refresher, I told you that ½ was “how” to practice and the other half was “what” to practice. He didn’t practice golf swing! Hogan practiced “positioning” and trajectory.

I submit that Tiger will win 6 more majors in the next 5 years if he does what Hogan did!

My book “Hogan’s Ghost” is available thru Amazon.com. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com/ #golfsparring. You can contact me at edmyersgolf@gmail.com