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David Leadbetter's "The Fundamentals of Hogan"

Reading David Leadbetter's book "The Fundamentals of Hogan" was a very frustrating experience for me. On the one hand, there are some excellent pictures, but on the other hand, Leadbetter doesn't teach Ben Hogan's fundamentals, and it shows.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Leadbetter mentioned things about Ben Hogan's swing of which very few instructors are aware, including those who claim to teach Hogan Fundamentals, but then Leadbetter would blow it by always adding that Hogan was unique and that golfers should ignore what Hogan did and instead do it his (David Leadbetter's) way. It was as if Leadbetter were saying Hogan was wrong and that his way is better.

This is where Leadbetter's weakness shows with regard to Ben Hogan's fundamentals—he clearly doesn't understand the importance of the movements and how they fit together so tightly. The Hogan swing was essentially one motion from beginning to end, an accomplishment which no other golfer has been able to match! This is the true beauty of Ben Hogan's fundamentals—pure synergy with absolutely no wasted movement! David Leadbetter is throwing a monkey wrench into Ben Hogan's Fundamentals by adding pieces of his own swing theory that do not fit.

Let's face it, Hogan was the best ball striker and had the best swing of all time. He may have been a little more flexible than most and he certainly worked harder than anyone else, but as I see it, he had two legs, a torso, two arms, and a head. The fundamentals he applied to his swing were proven in major championships and they apply to all golfers possessing anything related to a typical human physique.

For a publisher wanting to sell the largest possible number of books, David Leadbetter was the obvious choice for a new book on Hogan. Combine the biggest name in golf instruction and the newly found photos used to create the illustrations in Ben Hogan's book Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf and you're guaranteed to have a big seller. Unfortunately, focusing on dollars instead of being true to the subject doesn't do justice to Ben Hogan's fundamentals.

So, should you buy the book? If you have an interest in Hogan's fundamentals, definitely yes. The physical quality of the book is excellent and the pictures alone are worth the cost. Unfortunately, if you rely on David Leadbetter's words it won't do much to further your understanding of Ben Hogan's fundamentals.

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