Afternoons with Mr. Hogan: A Boy, a Golf Legend, and the Lessons of a Lifetime

by Jody Vasquez

Ben Hogan's former ball shagger recounts firsthand stories of the golf legend—andreveals, for the first time, Hogan's Swing Secret, a source of mystery to golfers for more than fifty years. Ben Hogan's pro golf record is legendary. A four-time PGA Player of the Year, he celebrated sixty-three tournament wins and became known as a man of few words and fewer close friends. Most of what we know about Hogan has been based on myth and speculation. Until now. In the 1960s, though Hogan's competitive career was over, he kept the practice habits that made him famous and remade modern competitive golf. He hired seventeen-year-old Jody Vasquez to help. Each day, after driving to a remote part of the course at Shady Oaks Country Club, Hogan would spend hours hitting balls and Vasquez would retrieve them. There, and over the course of their twenty-year friendship, Hogan taught Jody the mechanics of his famous swing and shared his thoughts on playing, practicing, and course management—unknowingly revealing much about his character, values, and beliefs, and the events that shaped them. In Afternoons with Mr. Hogan , Jody Vasquez shares dozens of stories about Hogan, from the way he practiced, selected his clubs, and interacted with other star players to his little-known humor and generosity. Combining the gentle insight of Tom Kite's A Fairway to Heaven (which recalls Kite's golf education under Harvey Penick) with the sage perspective of Penick's own Little Red Book , Vasquez's tribute is funny, poignant, and full of advice for golfers of all levels.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2004

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative stories that are almost all about practice and business, unusual for a book about a sport, and with a distinctly 'retro' feeling, starting with the cover. Is that the author out shagging balls beyond the green? Detailed information about club-making was interesting to me because I play Apex irons. The soul of the book is a collection of Hoganisms:
"If he was hitting a 7-iron and hadn't attained full trust in the shots he hit with that club, he'd practice with it until he did. I innocently joked that if I applied that standard I'd never get past hitting my sand wedge. In typical Hogan fashion, he looked dead at me and asked, "Why would you want to?" (p. 24)

[Barbara Kleber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the read

Jody told his story out of his eyes as a youth. He was very fortunate to have the experience being in Ben Hogan presence for a long time.

[Alan Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read for any fan of golf and its legendary personalities. While I am admittedly biased here as a long-time Hogan aficionado and someone who grew up in Fort Worth many years ago, I find this a story of a young man touched by fate, given the opportunity to learn about both golf and life from Ben Hogan. The author's life from then through today seems indicative of the positive affect he gained from these afternoons with Hogan. He is rightfully both respectful and appreciative of that time during which a kid shagging balls for a practicing professional developed into a lifelong friendship. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...I didn't know anything about the golf legend, Ben Hogan until reading this book to my kids. Now we've seen a glimpse into what makes him great. Reading about his passion and dedication to the one thing that he loved more than anything will hopefully inspire my boys to find what they love and put in the same energy and hours to be great.

[Charles M.]

Delightful recounting of author's days as a shagger for one of golf's greatest, Ben Hogan---during Hogan's twilight years spent just conducting daily practices at Shady Oaks CC in Texas. Great insights into Hogan's personality and rigid daily regimen to reach perfection with various golf shots...also reveals Mr. Hogan's "secret" about his masterful golf swing!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for golf junkies like me.