Shatter Your Handicap: Golf Digest

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Golf Instruction: golfdigest.com

By Josh Zander

Photos by Joey Terrill

December 2007

Ben Hogan was well ahead of his time in understanding the golf swing. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his landmark book, Ben Hogan's Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf. His pane-of-glass image from the book is still the most memorable illustration in golf instruction. Hogan did a fantastic job of taking a complex motion and simplifying it through imagery. In tribute to Hogan, here are a few more ways to use a pane of glass to improve your swing.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Hogan Video
Ben Hogan plays a practice round at the 1967 Masters
Ben Hogan gives an impromptu lesson to fellow pros - 1966
Ben Hogan tees off at the 1951 U.S. Open
Ben Hogan on the practice range at the 1967 Masters

<< Keep It Down the Middle

The best ball-strikers have the club on plane going back so they don't have to re-route it to get on plane coming down. To check your swing plane, imagine two panes of glass: one fitted around your midsection and the other around your shoulders. The space between those two panes creates a slot for your backswing. Notice how my left arm, shoulders and shaft are virtually on the same plane. I achieve this by avoiding the glass on either side. From this position, I'm set to make solid contact with the ball.

<< Hit It Low

Hogan always said to bring the ball in low to back pins. Imagine a pane of glass that wraps around your body just below your shoulders. To hit a low shot, your club should go back and through below the pane of glass. The feeling is that you're swinging around your body. This shallow angle of attack will produce a low, boring ball flight

<< Hit It High

For front pins, Hogan said to bring it in high. To hit a higher shot, use the same imagery of a pane just below your shoulders. In this case, the top of the backswing and the finish should be high enough to stay above the glass. This creates a steep angle of approach into the ball, allowing you to hit down sharply and send the ball higher in the air.