Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf

by Ben Hogan

The first completely updated and refreshed edition of the timeless golf classic that has sold over a million copies—now with never-before-seen photos, original material, and memorabilia, hand-selected from the Hogan estate archive.

Over the past sixty-five years, millions of golfers have studied Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons , making it the bestselling golf book of all time. Now, Hogan’s masterpiece has received the definitive edition it deserves, complete with never-before-seen archival gems and brand-new material for today’s golfers.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, Hogan is especially known for his mastery of the golf swing. At the start of his career, he played with a hook that threatened to ruin his game, until he dedicated himself to correcting it—and in doing so, he gained a rare and hard-fought understanding of the fundamentals. Curious fans itched for clues about his legendary technique, dubbed “the secret,” that allowed him to persevere and even return to the height of his powers after a car crash that shattered his body and almost took his life in 1949. His terse answer, “I dug it out of the dirt”—the dirt of the driving range—fueled the “Hogan mystique.” He went on to become one of only five players to win all four professional championships, claiming nine major championships in total.

In 1957, Hogan partnered with Herbert Warren Wind, “the dean of American golf writers” ( The New York Times ), and illustrator Anthony Ravielli to capture his expertise from the peak of his career in a series of lessons. He believed that any golfer with average coordination can learn to break eighty. With the groundbreaking techniques Hogan reveals in this essential book, you can learn how to make your game work from tee to green, step by step and stroke by stroke. In each chapter, a different tested fundamental is explained and demonstrated with clear illustrations, as though Hogan were giving you a personal lesson with the same skill and precision that made him a legend.

Now expanded with a major new introduction, expert commentary on the book’s legacy, unpublished photos of the publicity-shy Hogan, and more, this definitive edition offers greater context and fresh insight into an icon of the game.

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2024

Reviews

[Dom Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Nicholas Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fundamental reminders from one of the greatest to ever do it. Great setup keys and grip emphasis. Would recommend to all golfers, no matter their handicap!

[Adam Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best instructional book out there. His 5 lessons are the quintessential moves needed to have a consistent golf swing and the explanation of how and why the body needs to move that way is perfect. Would be 5 stars if it wasn’t for some of the rambling of stories about players that seemed off topic of what the book was about.

[scott frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading if you want to improve

Just by reading the first chapter and changing my grip, my entire swing changed.. flushing irons.. square and on line.. worth a read for anyone just starting out or trying to improve

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for someone struggling with golf. No matter how many youtube videos I still couldn’t complete a good golf swing. This is not only a good book on golf - but the stories about Ben’s character at the end are also insightful.

[Jeevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book about a year ago, but finally got to read and practice some of the tips over the last few days. I just wish I picked this up sooner. What a clear set of instructions. The new edition has some articles about Ben and his career by other Golf writers.

[Chad Gendron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for beginners or someone looking to refine the swing. Everything is very easy to understand, and Hogan even provides pictures when necessary. If you're an avid golfer or a beginner in the sport, this should be in your library.

[Tommy Tariche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgot to log this but listened to the audiobook, paramount for beginner golfers. Definitive edition alone just to hear Ben Hogan’s storytelling, one of my favorites to calm me down whenever, especially post round

[Anthony Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful

Was a great read and offered good insight - but I don’t think I needed the second half of the book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic fundamentals that still ring true. The second-half, while nice to hear some context on Hogan, feels unnecessary to bulk out the text.

[Pedro Recendez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great fundamentals and illustrations. However, second half of book was unnecessary.

[Ben Omer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wanna be better a golf read it

[Colin Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still shit at golf though.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for developing sound, repeatable fundamentals of a golf swing. I’ve come across a ton of modern teaching methods, but so many — it’s now clear to me — originate right from here.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed this book when I was a kid on the paper version. However, I really enjoyed this version with all of the articles and short stories about Hogan in the second part of the book.