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Ben Hogan: An American Life
Authorized, intimate, and definitive, Ben A Life is the long-awaited biography of one of golf’s greatest, most enigmatic legends, narrated with the unique eloquence that has made author James Dodson a critically acclaimed national bestseller. One man is often credited with shaping the landscape of modern golf. Ben Hogan was a short, trim, impeccably dressed Texan whose fierce work ethic, legendary steel nerves, and astonishing triumph over personal disaster earned him not only an army of adoring fans, but one of the finest careers in the history of the sport. Hogan captured a record-tying four U.S. Opens, won five of six major tournaments in a single season, and inspired future generations of professional golfers from Palmer to Norman to Woods.Yet for all his brilliance, Ben Hogan was an enigma. He was an American hero whose personal life, inner motivation, and famed “secret” were the source of great public mystery. As Hogan grew into a giant on the pro tour, the combination of his cool outward demeanor and invincible, laser-guided accuracy on the golf course froze formidable opponents in their tracks. In 1949, at the peak of his career, Hogan’s mystique was reinforced by a catastrophic automobile accident in which he and his wife, Valerie, were nearly killed after being hit head-on by a Greyhound bus. Doctors predicted Hogan might never walk again – let alone set foot on another golf course. But his miraculous three-year recovery and comeback led to one of the greatest performances in golf history when in 1953 he won the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open (something that’s never been repeated). In this first-ever family-authorized biography, renowned author James Dodson expertly and emotionally reconstructs Hogan’s complicated life. He discovers an intensely honest man handicapped by self-doubt, buoyed by the determination to prove his own abilities, and unable to escape a long-buried childhood tragedy – the core of the Hogan “secret.” Dodson also reveals both the legendary devotion and eventual strain in Hogan’s sixty-two-year marriage, and a Hogan rarely seen by the a warm, jovial man whose charitable spirit and sharp business sense enabled him to build the powerful golf equipment company bearing his name to this day. Ben A Life is the authoritative inside portrait golf fans have long awaited.
544 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
78 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
James Dodson
62 books44 followersJames Dodson is the author of seven books, including Final Rounds and Ben Hogan: An American Life. He lives with his family in Southern Pines, North Carolina."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 28, 2016
Ben Hogan was a very complex man. He was an introvert, whose private nature hid complex and painful depths. Hogan was reserved, seeming cold and impersonal to those who didn’t know him. He did not entertain the media, providing very direct, often one word answers to questions. Adding to his mystique was his golden brown skin and impeccable wardrobe. Nobody else dressed or looked like him, creating the allure of a godlike figure who hit perfect shots, was always in control, and thrived in the most pressure filled moments. Hogan’s “secret” became a national phenomenon – how did he dominate golf in the manner that he did, and what was behind his focused demeanor? Some thought it was his grip, or the way he tirelessly practiced. Some thought his secret was the way he flexed his hips or the level of his swing. Others believed it was personal tragedy which made him reserved. Though Hogan never mentioned it or confirmed, it is believed that at age 8 he witnessed his beloved father kill himself, a subject he never even mentioned to his wife.
Few lives are as easily segmented into two halves like Hogan’s. The first half was characterized by the above and a winning streak in golf that was unmatched. Then one day, his life was turned upside down from a horrific car accident where a greyhound bus took him head on.
Hogan was fortunate to survive, and his heroics of diving across the vehicle to protect his wife before the impact of the bus, put the hardened Hogan in different focus. As he recovered, Hogan softened. Letters and cards of well wishes from adoring fans changed him. The second half of his life, Hogan was more relaxed and affable with the media. He smiled more and showed his wit and charm more often. The magnanimous Hogan that he was known as privately became public knowledge.
The Hollywood script became legendary when Hogan miraculously returned to golf to win the Masters and go onto to achieve the same level of success before the accident. Hogan became a global celebratory like never before seen in golf, and he continued winning.
This is a great book because Hogan is so great as a person. However the book got bogged down in too much detail of his tournaments. I didn’t always need a play by play of every tournament, but the personal aspects of his life were very well done.
Few lives are as easily segmented into two halves like Hogan’s. The first half was characterized by the above and a winning streak in golf that was unmatched. Then one day, his life was turned upside down from a horrific car accident where a greyhound bus took him head on.
Hogan was fortunate to survive, and his heroics of diving across the vehicle to protect his wife before the impact of the bus, put the hardened Hogan in different focus. As he recovered, Hogan softened. Letters and cards of well wishes from adoring fans changed him. The second half of his life, Hogan was more relaxed and affable with the media. He smiled more and showed his wit and charm more often. The magnanimous Hogan that he was known as privately became public knowledge.
The Hollywood script became legendary when Hogan miraculously returned to golf to win the Masters and go onto to achieve the same level of success before the accident. Hogan became a global celebratory like never before seen in golf, and he continued winning.
This is a great book because Hogan is so great as a person. However the book got bogged down in too much detail of his tournaments. I didn’t always need a play by play of every tournament, but the personal aspects of his life were very well done.
January 18, 2014
Dodson's comprehensive and well researched narrative of golf's most compelling star keenly glosses over the rougher edges of Hogan's life without ignoring them. Most telling in this regard is Dodson's insistence that Hogan's socially cold shoulder is a psychological defense barrier protecting a dark secret. Dodson skillfully weaves Ben's dark secret, the death of his father, into the dark thread of personal tragedy throughout the entire work. Dodson creates a cocoon of sympathy around Ben as he vividly writes of a 9 year old boy at home who bears witness to his father's suicide. Ben's mother treats this terrible wound to the family as a cause for survival - get to work, we need money. And so, the family does. Dodson traces each member's life for the remaining 500 pages. Young Ben's singular mission creates tension between a life of a carefree school boy with that of a determined daily newspaper hawker on a local train platform trying to support his crippled family.
Later on Ben's socially cold shoulder becomes a flaw that irritates fellow golfers and sports writers for decades. But as young Ben matures and becomes one of the nation's greatest golfers, his coldness transforms into Hogan's Mystique. This is how Dodson excels as a biographer.
I incorrectly predicted that Dodson would finish this biography with literary fanfare of sentimental nostalgia. These did appear but not at the conclusion of the work. The Hollywood-type of background movie music occurs appropriately near the end of Hogan's golfing career especially in 1953 at Carnoustie, Scotland during the one and only British Open he ever played in - and won. The Brits loved the 'Wee Ice Mon.' Hogan fit their hero's model: short, dapper, and humble with an ironic wit. His victory there created a celebration here. After his golfing heroics on the Scottish links, Hogan sat atop a Cadillac convertible in a ticker tape parade down Broadway in New York City!
Despite these amazing accolades, Dodson resists literary fanfare as Hogan's life begins to decline. Forty years later, Dodson presents Hogan as a man struggling with the 'thousand natural shocks our flesh is heir to.' First, he cannot pull back the putter to make a stroke, then the knees falter, then his eyes fog over, then his wife pulls him closer to home in order to protect him from harm. And so it goes. Dodson finishes neither with fanfare nor pity. Rather he treats this American icon with respect for a life well-lived. He raises up to us a man who worked hard, was loyal to his family and never gave up. Hogan's faith in God was quiet, personal and generous to those who he saw an unfortunate.
For me as a life-long golf duffer, this biography offered many insights into Hogan's contributions to the great game. Perhaps the most personal is my own set of golf irons purchased in 1990 which are Hogan Apex, the first model Ben built for commercial sale. These are my treasures created by the 'wee ice mon.'
Later on Ben's socially cold shoulder becomes a flaw that irritates fellow golfers and sports writers for decades. But as young Ben matures and becomes one of the nation's greatest golfers, his coldness transforms into Hogan's Mystique. This is how Dodson excels as a biographer.
I incorrectly predicted that Dodson would finish this biography with literary fanfare of sentimental nostalgia. These did appear but not at the conclusion of the work. The Hollywood-type of background movie music occurs appropriately near the end of Hogan's golfing career especially in 1953 at Carnoustie, Scotland during the one and only British Open he ever played in - and won. The Brits loved the 'Wee Ice Mon.' Hogan fit their hero's model: short, dapper, and humble with an ironic wit. His victory there created a celebration here. After his golfing heroics on the Scottish links, Hogan sat atop a Cadillac convertible in a ticker tape parade down Broadway in New York City!
Despite these amazing accolades, Dodson resists literary fanfare as Hogan's life begins to decline. Forty years later, Dodson presents Hogan as a man struggling with the 'thousand natural shocks our flesh is heir to.' First, he cannot pull back the putter to make a stroke, then the knees falter, then his eyes fog over, then his wife pulls him closer to home in order to protect him from harm. And so it goes. Dodson finishes neither with fanfare nor pity. Rather he treats this American icon with respect for a life well-lived. He raises up to us a man who worked hard, was loyal to his family and never gave up. Hogan's faith in God was quiet, personal and generous to those who he saw an unfortunate.
For me as a life-long golf duffer, this biography offered many insights into Hogan's contributions to the great game. Perhaps the most personal is my own set of golf irons purchased in 1990 which are Hogan Apex, the first model Ben built for commercial sale. These are my treasures created by the 'wee ice mon.'
August 5, 2025
The best biography I've ever read. My second reading. Of course it helps that I'm a pretty big golf fan. But I've read several other golf bios and they just don't compare to Dodson's amazing work here.
Ben Hogan: An American Life was written in 2004. Dodson was very surprised to be approached by Hogan's family about writing his story not long after another extensive (unauthorized) biography was published - Curt Sampson's 1996 Hogan. That was published before the deaths of Ben and his wife Valerie. You might think Hogan may have wanted to set the record straight about things written in Sampson's biography, but if that sentiment was the reason for the family's call to Dodson, it was no doubt based on wishes expressed from Valerie before her demise. While Ben was famously private, Valerie was the gatekeeper of all things Hogan, and the more likely to insist on getting the facts straight - Ben usually just ignored false rumors and stories.
After my earlier reading of this treasure, I thought, "When you pick up a book on Ben Hogan, the car crash is in the middle of his golf life, not at the end - that says it all about Hogan." For those who aren't familiar with that part of his life, this is the gist of it: Ben Hogan had risen from the tragedy of his father's suicide when Ben was young, and the resulting hard times for his family, to local prominence as a promising young golfer. Making the next step to professional-level golf involves a brutal level of commitment for any golfer, but even after he "made it", Ben was famous for his work ethic, spending more time practicing than essentially anyone, turning himself into possibly the best ball striker golf has ever seen.
Then, after all of that, he was knocked back to square one when the car he was driving was hit head-on by a bus in the wrong lane. At the last instant before the collision, Ben threw himself sideways across his wife Valerie, probably saving both of their lives. He came away with severe leg injuries, and blood clots threatened to kill him if they broke off from his leg veins and went to his lungs. He underwent a highly risky operation that closed off the inferior vena cava, the large vein that returns blood to the heart. This saved his life, but at the cost of permanent and debilitating leg swelling. Walking was difficult. It took a year or so to be able to walk a golf course. But his steely determination to play again made him do whatever it took to gradually get his game back. He then went on to become one of the greatest golfers in history. He won 9 major tournaments. In the 150 year history of organized professional golf, only Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen won more. During one string, he won 8 of the 11 majors that he played in. He is still the only golfer to have won the Masters, the U. S. Open and the British Open in the same year (1953), a feat that was recognized on his return from Scotland with a New York ticker tape parade.
Hogan was famous for his stern demeanor, especially during golf tournaments. When he traveled to Scotland for the 1953 British Open, the fans there started referring to him as the Wee Ice Mon.
Interestingly, Hogan credited Valerie, several times when he became extremely frustrated with his golf game, with giving him advice that, while not technical, proved to be exactly what he needed to take the next step toward excellence. By the time the reader has agonized with Ben for years of near-misses, Dodson's telling of his first win at Pinehurst, and his reaction, almost brings tears.
Also, the story of unknown Jack Fleck's amazing playoff win over Hogan in the 1955 U. S. Open is one of my favorite episodes and best-told tales in the book. Overall, Dodson's ability to describe conversations is riveting. If you are not aware of the incredible drama that golf tournaments provide, listen to Hogan think and talk about his bitter disappointment at the 1960 U. S. Open at Cherry Hills near Denver:
"By then, Hogan was showered and dressed, calmly seated by his locker, fielding polite questions, and trying to explain his reasoning for the failed shot at 17 (a pitch shot that landed just short and rolled back into the water). Hadn't the Hogan principle, someone wondered, always been to make the safe and intelligent play and let others force the costly errors? 'Maybe I should not have done it, but I wasn't more than this far from finishing with 279,' he explained to Larry Robinson of the New York World Telegram and Sun, holding his hands only a foot apart. He sighed a little. 'I'm just a dumb guy, I guess. I figured I needed to finish five under for 279 to win the tournament and gambled for a birdie 4 on the 17th.' He thought a moment more and added, 'Maybe I should have played it safe.' For what my opinion is worth', his playing partner Nicklaus weighed in some time later, 'I feel that under the circumstances Ben made the right move ... A birdie there might possibly win for him - even Palmer wouldn't be able to reach the 17th in two. I am, of course,' he admitted, 'just guessing at Ben's thoughts.' 'It was a good shot, a good damn shot,' Hogan told Larry Robinson before he left the Cherry Hills clubhouse that afternoon. 'I missed my spot by about two feet from fifty yards out. I would do it exactly the same way again.' Twenty-three years later, however, in a rare television interview under the eaves at Shady Oaks with his friend Ken Venturi, the graying legend admitted he was still haunted by that moment out in Cherry Hills 17th fairway. 'I wake up at nights thinking about that shot right today,' he admitted quietly, his eyes shining with emotion. 'It's been twenty-three years, and there isn't a month that goes by that it doesn't cut my guts out.'"
As Hogan aged, and his vision failed, his putting woes increased to the point of not being able to take the putter back for a stroke, because he just couldn't commit to exactly how the ball needed to be struck. Dodson relates Ken Venturi's story of that terrible time period:
"Venturi and Hogan were playing one of the early rounds (of the 1965 U. S. Open) together when Ben struck a magnificent shot to the 2nd green, leaving himself a twelve-footer for birdie. 'I watched him stand over the ball for the longest time', Venturi remembers. 'It was pure anguish for him - and anyone who saw it. Finally he comes over to me and says, 'Ken, I just can't take it back.' He meant his putter, of course. I looked at him and said, 'Ben, forget it. Who gives a damn? You've beaten us all long enough.' He just gave me that long penetrating look of his, and afterward, in the locker room, he came over and thanked me for saying what I'd said to him.' This became Kenny Venturi's most cherished memory of Hogan.
Ben Hogan: An American Life was written in 2004. Dodson was very surprised to be approached by Hogan's family about writing his story not long after another extensive (unauthorized) biography was published - Curt Sampson's 1996 Hogan. That was published before the deaths of Ben and his wife Valerie. You might think Hogan may have wanted to set the record straight about things written in Sampson's biography, but if that sentiment was the reason for the family's call to Dodson, it was no doubt based on wishes expressed from Valerie before her demise. While Ben was famously private, Valerie was the gatekeeper of all things Hogan, and the more likely to insist on getting the facts straight - Ben usually just ignored false rumors and stories.
After my earlier reading of this treasure, I thought, "When you pick up a book on Ben Hogan, the car crash is in the middle of his golf life, not at the end - that says it all about Hogan." For those who aren't familiar with that part of his life, this is the gist of it: Ben Hogan had risen from the tragedy of his father's suicide when Ben was young, and the resulting hard times for his family, to local prominence as a promising young golfer. Making the next step to professional-level golf involves a brutal level of commitment for any golfer, but even after he "made it", Ben was famous for his work ethic, spending more time practicing than essentially anyone, turning himself into possibly the best ball striker golf has ever seen.
Then, after all of that, he was knocked back to square one when the car he was driving was hit head-on by a bus in the wrong lane. At the last instant before the collision, Ben threw himself sideways across his wife Valerie, probably saving both of their lives. He came away with severe leg injuries, and blood clots threatened to kill him if they broke off from his leg veins and went to his lungs. He underwent a highly risky operation that closed off the inferior vena cava, the large vein that returns blood to the heart. This saved his life, but at the cost of permanent and debilitating leg swelling. Walking was difficult. It took a year or so to be able to walk a golf course. But his steely determination to play again made him do whatever it took to gradually get his game back. He then went on to become one of the greatest golfers in history. He won 9 major tournaments. In the 150 year history of organized professional golf, only Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen won more. During one string, he won 8 of the 11 majors that he played in. He is still the only golfer to have won the Masters, the U. S. Open and the British Open in the same year (1953), a feat that was recognized on his return from Scotland with a New York ticker tape parade.
Hogan was famous for his stern demeanor, especially during golf tournaments. When he traveled to Scotland for the 1953 British Open, the fans there started referring to him as the Wee Ice Mon.
Interestingly, Hogan credited Valerie, several times when he became extremely frustrated with his golf game, with giving him advice that, while not technical, proved to be exactly what he needed to take the next step toward excellence. By the time the reader has agonized with Ben for years of near-misses, Dodson's telling of his first win at Pinehurst, and his reaction, almost brings tears.
Also, the story of unknown Jack Fleck's amazing playoff win over Hogan in the 1955 U. S. Open is one of my favorite episodes and best-told tales in the book. Overall, Dodson's ability to describe conversations is riveting. If you are not aware of the incredible drama that golf tournaments provide, listen to Hogan think and talk about his bitter disappointment at the 1960 U. S. Open at Cherry Hills near Denver:
"By then, Hogan was showered and dressed, calmly seated by his locker, fielding polite questions, and trying to explain his reasoning for the failed shot at 17 (a pitch shot that landed just short and rolled back into the water). Hadn't the Hogan principle, someone wondered, always been to make the safe and intelligent play and let others force the costly errors? 'Maybe I should not have done it, but I wasn't more than this far from finishing with 279,' he explained to Larry Robinson of the New York World Telegram and Sun, holding his hands only a foot apart. He sighed a little. 'I'm just a dumb guy, I guess. I figured I needed to finish five under for 279 to win the tournament and gambled for a birdie 4 on the 17th.' He thought a moment more and added, 'Maybe I should have played it safe.' For what my opinion is worth', his playing partner Nicklaus weighed in some time later, 'I feel that under the circumstances Ben made the right move ... A birdie there might possibly win for him - even Palmer wouldn't be able to reach the 17th in two. I am, of course,' he admitted, 'just guessing at Ben's thoughts.' 'It was a good shot, a good damn shot,' Hogan told Larry Robinson before he left the Cherry Hills clubhouse that afternoon. 'I missed my spot by about two feet from fifty yards out. I would do it exactly the same way again.' Twenty-three years later, however, in a rare television interview under the eaves at Shady Oaks with his friend Ken Venturi, the graying legend admitted he was still haunted by that moment out in Cherry Hills 17th fairway. 'I wake up at nights thinking about that shot right today,' he admitted quietly, his eyes shining with emotion. 'It's been twenty-three years, and there isn't a month that goes by that it doesn't cut my guts out.'"
As Hogan aged, and his vision failed, his putting woes increased to the point of not being able to take the putter back for a stroke, because he just couldn't commit to exactly how the ball needed to be struck. Dodson relates Ken Venturi's story of that terrible time period:
"Venturi and Hogan were playing one of the early rounds (of the 1965 U. S. Open) together when Ben struck a magnificent shot to the 2nd green, leaving himself a twelve-footer for birdie. 'I watched him stand over the ball for the longest time', Venturi remembers. 'It was pure anguish for him - and anyone who saw it. Finally he comes over to me and says, 'Ken, I just can't take it back.' He meant his putter, of course. I looked at him and said, 'Ben, forget it. Who gives a damn? You've beaten us all long enough.' He just gave me that long penetrating look of his, and afterward, in the locker room, he came over and thanked me for saying what I'd said to him.' This became Kenny Venturi's most cherished memory of Hogan.
December 14, 2007
fantastic. I didn't know much about the man except that he came was a great player who was victim of a car accident but returned to continue his remarkable career, this was the story that I heard, it didn't seem like much.
Early in his career many thought he would never win a tournament. having two separate tries at making it as a tour player, he failed miserably and limped home broke. on what was his "final" attempt, he finally learned to win and that led to a few more tournament wins. He had finally become a professional golfer.
His major goal in life was to win a major golf championship. Yet, like his first tour experiences - learning to compete and win on a regular basis- he would need to learn how to win a major championship as well. After a few miscues, he finally learned to win the big one with a win at the 50th U.S. Open (then called The National Open).
shortly after that win, he was in his car accident....
Which is to say that he and his wife Valerie were in a head on collision, not with another automobile, but a ten ton Greyhound bus that was trying to pass a truck on a two lane Texas highway. By throwing himself across the Cadillac toward his wife seated in the passenger seat, attempting to protect her, he probably saved his own as well as hers. He would suffer massive damage (I'm no doctor and too lazy to go look it up) to his legs, a broken shoulder and damage to his eye. If he hadn't thrown himself across the car, his steering wheel would have shot into his chest, most likely killing him.
But Hogan would survive, even after suffering a Pulmonary Embelis and undergoing a radical new surgery that saved his life but kept him in the hospital for several months recovering. Not only did he survive, he defied all the odds by not only walking again, but also coming back to the game he loved and performing better than ever before. He won more majors after his accident than most great golfers did in their lifetimes and always playing in pain in his legs, and limited visibility in his left eye (very important when engaged in the short game).
Ben Hogan's story is pure Horatio Alger stuff. The "wee ice mon" (as the Scots called him at Carnoustie, his only trip across the pond for the only British Open he would ever play in, I won't tell you the outcome) was and still is the best player in the game (yes Tiger, the best) and is also probably a very misunderstood man. This book, researched thoroughly, is a even handed tribute to the golfer as well as the man who was often criticized for being cold hearted, stand offish and short with people who asked silly questions. Reading about Hogan reminds me of Muhammad Ali. Both were men who conquered their respected fields, had adversity remove them from that field, then come back better and stronger than anyone would ever have guessed while the entire time being completely misunderstood by their peers and the press.
Golf is a game that lacks something in the general public view. Sometimes not considered a sport, other times for being an elitist sport, golfers not being considered athletic, whatever it is, some are just wary about reading a book about a golfers life. Well this book is about a golfer, true, but it is also about a man. A man with an uncompromising work ethic and a goal to win in his field and his life. It should be read by everyone who loves a reading about a good life, one that overcomes the odds, and then overcomes them again.
Early in his career many thought he would never win a tournament. having two separate tries at making it as a tour player, he failed miserably and limped home broke. on what was his "final" attempt, he finally learned to win and that led to a few more tournament wins. He had finally become a professional golfer.
His major goal in life was to win a major golf championship. Yet, like his first tour experiences - learning to compete and win on a regular basis- he would need to learn how to win a major championship as well. After a few miscues, he finally learned to win the big one with a win at the 50th U.S. Open (then called The National Open).
shortly after that win, he was in his car accident....
Which is to say that he and his wife Valerie were in a head on collision, not with another automobile, but a ten ton Greyhound bus that was trying to pass a truck on a two lane Texas highway. By throwing himself across the Cadillac toward his wife seated in the passenger seat, attempting to protect her, he probably saved his own as well as hers. He would suffer massive damage (I'm no doctor and too lazy to go look it up) to his legs, a broken shoulder and damage to his eye. If he hadn't thrown himself across the car, his steering wheel would have shot into his chest, most likely killing him.
But Hogan would survive, even after suffering a Pulmonary Embelis and undergoing a radical new surgery that saved his life but kept him in the hospital for several months recovering. Not only did he survive, he defied all the odds by not only walking again, but also coming back to the game he loved and performing better than ever before. He won more majors after his accident than most great golfers did in their lifetimes and always playing in pain in his legs, and limited visibility in his left eye (very important when engaged in the short game).
Ben Hogan's story is pure Horatio Alger stuff. The "wee ice mon" (as the Scots called him at Carnoustie, his only trip across the pond for the only British Open he would ever play in, I won't tell you the outcome) was and still is the best player in the game (yes Tiger, the best) and is also probably a very misunderstood man. This book, researched thoroughly, is a even handed tribute to the golfer as well as the man who was often criticized for being cold hearted, stand offish and short with people who asked silly questions. Reading about Hogan reminds me of Muhammad Ali. Both were men who conquered their respected fields, had adversity remove them from that field, then come back better and stronger than anyone would ever have guessed while the entire time being completely misunderstood by their peers and the press.
Golf is a game that lacks something in the general public view. Sometimes not considered a sport, other times for being an elitist sport, golfers not being considered athletic, whatever it is, some are just wary about reading a book about a golfers life. Well this book is about a golfer, true, but it is also about a man. A man with an uncompromising work ethic and a goal to win in his field and his life. It should be read by everyone who loves a reading about a good life, one that overcomes the odds, and then overcomes them again.
September 1, 2009
James Dobson's An American Life is the definitive Biography of Ben Hogan, who won 9 Majors in his career and dominated the sport in his era. Hogan was one of the most beloved sports figures of his day, but was notoriously shy off the course, preferring the company of a few close friends to the prying eyes of an adoring public, because of this he was unfairly saddled with the nickname "The Wee Ice Man" Dobson has managed to penetrate the curtain of silence that has always surrounded Hogan, talking to many of those who knew him best. Along the way he unearths many facts that were widely unknown to the golfing public, such as the suicide of Ben's father Chester when he was 10 years old. Needless to say, this early loss profoundly influenced the young Hogan's character, and gave him the strength to triumph over later adversity.
Dobson chronicle's Hogan's inspirationial story, from Fort Worth caddy to beloved Major champion. In 1949, the car he was driving collided with a bus, he wasn't expected to live, let alone play again. Drawing on that deep well of inner toughness, he somehow willed his body back into playing shape. He went on to win 6 more Majors, including 3 in 1953 forever known as the "Hogan Slam"
Even if you don't like golf, I think you'll be deeply moved by Ben Hogan's story.
Dobson chronicle's Hogan's inspirationial story, from Fort Worth caddy to beloved Major champion. In 1949, the car he was driving collided with a bus, he wasn't expected to live, let alone play again. Drawing on that deep well of inner toughness, he somehow willed his body back into playing shape. He went on to win 6 more Majors, including 3 in 1953 forever known as the "Hogan Slam"
Even if you don't like golf, I think you'll be deeply moved by Ben Hogan's story.
January 13, 2011
This biography is a fascinating story of a man who had to overcome so many obstacles to achieve greatness, and is an inspiring reminder that greatness usually doesn’t come easily.
Mr. Dodson comes as close as possible to accurately portraying a very complex man, a man who will always be an enigma to many. My only criticism of this book is its length. I wonder if so many details are necessary. I guess to some readers they are. To me, however, it slowed the book down.
If I could I've give this book four and a half stars.
Mr. Dodson comes as close as possible to accurately portraying a very complex man, a man who will always be an enigma to many. My only criticism of this book is its length. I wonder if so many details are necessary. I guess to some readers they are. To me, however, it slowed the book down.
If I could I've give this book four and a half stars.
February 4, 2014
A fascinating, well-written, and thoroughly researched book about an amazing man. I am a golf fan, but this book is so expansive from a historical and human standpoint that golf knowledge is not required. Two of many examples that stand out to me: Jack Fleck's epiphany from a bathroom mirror and the melancholy (my emotion) yet uplifting (go figure) last days of Hogan's life. I can't wait to read this again, and that's my barometer to measure what makes a book great.
February 28, 2008
Great book, even for those of you that don't appreciate the game (and if you don't, what good are you?) Anyway, good read. Hogan was, in many ways, a combination of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
August 29, 2015
A very detailed accounting of Ben Hogan's life. I've gained an appreciation for his influence upon the sport of golf that is still with us today. I learned something that otherwise hasn't been widely reported. Ben Hogan is truly one of golf's pioneers of shot-making.
December 12, 2016
Spectacular read. Was a bit apprehensive because of its density, but the pages flew by. An absolute pleasure. Despite the fantastic material, the flow of writing is truly what makes this a breeze and so much fun.
November 13, 2008
If you have a passion for golf, this is the book for you. I just haven't acquired a knack for the sport quite yet. Pretty inspiring read though.
February 27, 2009
Loved this book, if your a fan of golf history or sports in my opinion it has to include obtaining knowledge and understanding of the importance of Ben Hogan. This is the book!!
September 9, 2009
If you love golf you will love this story. An amazing life centered on excellent golf.
January 26, 2011
dude should have died in car wreck instead he became a legend
July 17, 2012
Best biography of any type/genre that I have read. It reads easily and you cannot put it down. It may sound cliched, but it is true.
July 31, 2012
Great portrait of the somewhat reclusive life of Mr. Hogan.
July 9, 2013
Excellent.
November 20, 2013
What a true life story about resilience, perseverance and just practicing your craft. So many ups and downs Ben Hogan went through. He was an amazing golfer in his day. Wow.
February 16, 2017
I'm in the middle of re-reading this a second time. I really like this book and not because of golf, but because of the careful research and description of Ben Hogan the human being.
April 5, 2015
Excellent biography on Ben Hogan. Spends a lot of time on his golf life but also adds his personal side.
January 24, 2016
Best book on the HAG
October 4, 2020
I’ve long wanted to read this biography of Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers who ever lived, written by, in my opinion, today’s best golf writer. Dodson (Final Rounds), tells us that Hogan, nicknamed “The Hawk”, reshaped professional golf, but kept the world that came to worship him at arm’s length. A few of Hogan’s accomplishments were:
• Between 1940 and 1959, he won sixty-eight golf tournaments and dominated professional golf as no one before ever had, winning four United States Opens, a pair of PGA Championships, two Masters Championships, and the only British Open Championship he ever played in.
• Out of 292 career tournaments he entered, he finished in the top ten an unprecedented 241 times.
• His greatest moment of personal triumph came in 1950 when he won the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club just sixteen months after his collision with a Greyhound bus that destroyed the circulation in both legs and nearly killed him. At the time of the accident, it was questionable if he would ever be able to walk again, much less compete in a golf tournament.
But there is much more to Hogan’s story than the tournaments he won. Dodson tells us that as a nine-year old boy, Hogan witnessed his father's suicide, something neither he nor his family ever spoke of. That event would lead to a lifelong struggle to overcome personal adversity
Hogan was a small man in stature. He was known for his intense concentration and his perfect clothes. He was modest, tough, brutally guarded, and absolutely unrelenting in the exercise of his will to succeed at the hardest game anybody ever played. He was also funny, honest, sentimental, engaging and generous. Dodson tells us that he was a tough guy with a tender spot for children and dogs and strangers in need, an old-fashioned American who was fanatically loyal to the people he employed and chose to reveal himself to—including, and maybe especially, his wife, Valerie.
Hogan was far more religious than anybody but a handful of people realized. His rarely-spoken-of spirituality was simply one more facet of a complex personality the public at large, and even many people who considered themselves close to Hogan, knew little or nothing about. Following his accident, though the press had no inkling of it or simply chose to ignore this aspect of his private life, Hogan also grew more visible in the exercise of his faith—or at the very least, less concerned about shielding his spirituality from view.
Hogan and Bryon Nelson knew each other when they both caddied at Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth. Early in their days on the professional golf tour, the Hogans and the Nelsons would travel together. They were very close until Nelson made a comment on a radio interview. After that, they would be rivals, but no longer friends.
After his near fatal crash, Hogan was touched by the outpouring from his fans. His brush with death apparently helped him fully grasp, perhaps for the first time, why it was important to let his growing legions of fans and admirers see occasional glimpses of the real man within, not just the golf machine that won tournaments with intimidating mechanical precision.
The book discusses Hogan’s rivalry with Sam Snead, the film of Hogan’s comeback (Follow the Sun), and his golf club company (The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company).
As he got older, although he was still excellent from tee to green, he increasingly struggled on the greens. That seemed to be a combination of nerves and eyesight that was damaged in the accident.
Dodson tells us that there were occasional problems in the home life of Ben and Valerie, with Ben sometimes living apart from her. Despite those issues, they stayed together until the end.
Towards the end of his life, Hogan suffered from Alzheimer’s, and Valerie increasingly kept him away from his friends at Shady Oaks Country Club, and the things he loved to do (drive his Fleetwood Cadillac, smoke cigarettes). But he received wonderful care from a caregiver until his death in 1997 at age 84.
• Between 1940 and 1959, he won sixty-eight golf tournaments and dominated professional golf as no one before ever had, winning four United States Opens, a pair of PGA Championships, two Masters Championships, and the only British Open Championship he ever played in.
• Out of 292 career tournaments he entered, he finished in the top ten an unprecedented 241 times.
• His greatest moment of personal triumph came in 1950 when he won the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club just sixteen months after his collision with a Greyhound bus that destroyed the circulation in both legs and nearly killed him. At the time of the accident, it was questionable if he would ever be able to walk again, much less compete in a golf tournament.
But there is much more to Hogan’s story than the tournaments he won. Dodson tells us that as a nine-year old boy, Hogan witnessed his father's suicide, something neither he nor his family ever spoke of. That event would lead to a lifelong struggle to overcome personal adversity
Hogan was a small man in stature. He was known for his intense concentration and his perfect clothes. He was modest, tough, brutally guarded, and absolutely unrelenting in the exercise of his will to succeed at the hardest game anybody ever played. He was also funny, honest, sentimental, engaging and generous. Dodson tells us that he was a tough guy with a tender spot for children and dogs and strangers in need, an old-fashioned American who was fanatically loyal to the people he employed and chose to reveal himself to—including, and maybe especially, his wife, Valerie.
Hogan was far more religious than anybody but a handful of people realized. His rarely-spoken-of spirituality was simply one more facet of a complex personality the public at large, and even many people who considered themselves close to Hogan, knew little or nothing about. Following his accident, though the press had no inkling of it or simply chose to ignore this aspect of his private life, Hogan also grew more visible in the exercise of his faith—or at the very least, less concerned about shielding his spirituality from view.
Hogan and Bryon Nelson knew each other when they both caddied at Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth. Early in their days on the professional golf tour, the Hogans and the Nelsons would travel together. They were very close until Nelson made a comment on a radio interview. After that, they would be rivals, but no longer friends.
After his near fatal crash, Hogan was touched by the outpouring from his fans. His brush with death apparently helped him fully grasp, perhaps for the first time, why it was important to let his growing legions of fans and admirers see occasional glimpses of the real man within, not just the golf machine that won tournaments with intimidating mechanical precision.
The book discusses Hogan’s rivalry with Sam Snead, the film of Hogan’s comeback (Follow the Sun), and his golf club company (The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company).
As he got older, although he was still excellent from tee to green, he increasingly struggled on the greens. That seemed to be a combination of nerves and eyesight that was damaged in the accident.
Dodson tells us that there were occasional problems in the home life of Ben and Valerie, with Ben sometimes living apart from her. Despite those issues, they stayed together until the end.
Towards the end of his life, Hogan suffered from Alzheimer’s, and Valerie increasingly kept him away from his friends at Shady Oaks Country Club, and the things he loved to do (drive his Fleetwood Cadillac, smoke cigarettes). But he received wonderful care from a caregiver until his death in 1997 at age 84.
July 12, 2023
A thoroughly enjoyable biography of Ben Hogan and his life. The author does a great job setting the scene in the heat of battle and then letting the drama unfold.
By the end, the reader has built up a good idea of Hogan’s character. There are plenty of contributions from family, friends and fellow pros alike.
This is a well researched piece of writing. The only thing missing is the lack of photographs.
By the end, the reader has built up a good idea of Hogan’s character. There are plenty of contributions from family, friends and fellow pros alike.
This is a well researched piece of writing. The only thing missing is the lack of photographs.
September 11, 2021
I learned a lot about Ben Hogan from reading this book. Very impressive to read about his tenacity after years of not winning a golf tournament until he finally started winning and became one of the greatest golfers ever. This book also discusses the struggles that he faced personally throughout his life.
July 6, 2022
3.5 stars. This book needed more editing, I think. It was probably a good bit longer than it needed to be. Dodson’s style didn’t seem to fit a biography at first but I think the he eventually got more economical with his words and less syrupy sweet. Which is good because “syrupy sweet” wouldn’t fit Ben Hogan! I learned a lot about him and his life and enjoyed doing so.
February 5, 2025
Very well written about a man who worked hard to accomplish his goals. That being said, there wasn't much joy in his doing so. A truly tortured individual. He certainly liked overcoming obstacles and liked winning, but he didn't seem to enjoy playing the game like any other grfeat golfer who comes to mind.
August 12, 2019
THE BIGGEST LITTLE MAN
This is a great story and hard to tear away from. Ben Hogan was a giant of golf and this personal portrayal has all the elements for a great mini-series. Heck it is a mini-series you want to binge-read.
This is a great story and hard to tear away from. Ben Hogan was a giant of golf and this personal portrayal has all the elements for a great mini-series. Heck it is a mini-series you want to binge-read.
September 20, 2019
Both my mother and her father were golfers and referred often to golfers of Hogans generation. The introduction gave me the historical context of his life. That interested me the most. The rest of the book was VERY well researched but more detail than I wanted. I rear 110 pages.
December 14, 2017
I think if you are a golfer this is a must read. One of the best non-fiction books I have read - ever. Hogan was an interesting and remarkable guy and Dodson is a great story teller.
September 27, 2017
One of my favorite sports related books Ben Hogan was an amazing player and person. His recovery from an life-threatening car accident was inspiring. Want to read this one again!
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