Instruction
The Ben Hogan moment that inspired young Lee Trevino's ball-striking breakthrough
Leonard Kamsler/Popperfoto
How did one of golf's best ball-strikers ever come to be? By spying on golf's best-ever ball striker.
It was 1962 that served as the legendary Lee Trevino's origin story. Trevino had just been discharged from the military two years earlier and was in the early stages of his professional career.
Trevino was an unknown at the time, showing no signs he'd become an eventual six-major winner. Then one day that year, he received an invitation from a local pro to Shady Oaks Country Club, Ben Hogan's home course just outside of Dallas.
When he arrived, as Trevino reveals in his new introduction to the re-released version of Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf," he found none other than the legendary Hogan himself hitting balls on the driving range.
What Trevino learned from Hogan
"On the practice tee, fifty yards away, was Mr. Hogan himself, hitting balls with no one around him and a caddie in the distance. I didn't dare get any closer, but I studied his every move," Trevino writes. "He maneuvered the ball so beautifully, the caddie barely moving before collecting the ball on one hop."
Trevino writes that he was using a stronger grip at the time, more hand action, and hit a more sweeping right-to-left draw—much like a young Hogan himself. But watching Hogan that day, Trevino noticed Hogan doing the opposite: He had an aggressive lower body action, which helped fade the ball from left to right.
It prompted a revelation for Trevino, as he writes:
"I remember getting the clear impression that Mr. Hogan controlled his shots with his lower body. And that the more he led with his hips and his legs, the more he'd fade the shot left to right. At that point, I was playing a draw, which under pressure would often become a hook. Inspired by Mr. Hogan's ball flight as the model, I knew right then a reliable fade was going to make me better."
Determined to mirror Hogan, Trevino weakened his grip and grooved a more aggressive lower body action through the ball. That prevented his hands from taking over and rolling the clubface shut.
"Getting the feel for that fade, I started using my lower body, which with my build was strong and stable, much more aggressively... Mr. Hogan's grip was much weaker than mine, which allowed him to curve the ball either way more easily than my strong grip allowed. He just released his right hand a little more when he wanted to hit a draw. As he wrote, 'As far as applying power goes, I wish that I had three right hands!'"
It both inspired and transformed young Trevino's game. His Hogan-inspired move turned Trevino into one of the most iconic faders in golf history. It won him six majors and 29 tour wins in all. It was a momentary interaction between Trevino and Hogan—one Hogan didn't even realize was happening.
The newly re-released version of Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" includes Trevino's new forward, in addition to more than 100 pages of additional essays on Hogan from some of the best writers in golf.
You can check out the new release, which goes on sale November 19th, right here.