Golf Legend Ben Hogan’s Secret
He said we could ‘find it in the dirt’, but the truth is Hogan was a rare outlier
Golfers who know the sport’s history are often obsessed with Ben Hogan; I am the poster child. I’ve read his books, think I own his grip and could watch his swing over and over, but truly fell in love with his game and competitive spirit while listening to The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever. The book, written by Mark Frost, details a non-USGA sanctioned match pitting professional legends Hogan and Byron Nelson against top-ranking amateurs Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi. It took place sometime before the Byron Nelson Clam Bake in 1956 at the greatest golf cathedral of all, Cypress Point.
If there were a time machine I’d set it for 1956 and somehow find a way onto the grounds at Cypress Point that day, just to see it go down live. It was that epic. Hogan was that good. If only there were a time machine…
Minus my fantasy we have reality. Hogan is dead and even when he was alive he was vague about the methods of his success and his, “the secret is in the dirt” lead, though I would argue that anyone with half a brain could simply derive that he meant, “the secret is to practice like nothing else in life matters...”
Hogan was an outlier; someone who, according to author Malcom Gladwell, in his book Outliers: The Story of Success, achieves world-class expertise at a chosen skill by practicing the correct way for more than 10,000-hours. It is known as the “10,000-Hour Rule” and is a theory embraced by professional ski racer Mikaela Shriffin and her father, who largely credits it as the reason for her unprecedented success (she is on track to break all of Lyndsey Vonn’s records at a younger age) since turning pro in 2014.
Bottom line? Mikaela put in the work.
Pop star Billie Eilish is another successful subscriber to the 10,000-Hour Rule. All she did was win X Grammy’s with her first album, which reached #1 on the pop charts in the US and UK and which was produced in conjunction with her brother, in her bedroom in suburbia.
That is unprecedented success for any musical artist, much less a first timer.
Bottom line? Billie and Finneas put in the work.
Hogan was legendary for putting in the work. He was able to do what he did that day at Cypress Point not only because his mechanics were so sound, but mostly because his mind was on board too. 100 hours of proper practice in golf leads to some awesome results, but most importantly, real confidence. Imagine the confidence you would have after 10,000 hours of practice?! I imagine by The Match Hogan had put in north of 50,000 hours of practice?
You don’t do to Cypress Point, with 1956 golfing gear, what Hogan did to Cypress that day, from the tips, minus an unbeatable level of confidence in the state of your game. He put in the work. That was the difference maker; the secret.
