Johnny Miller: Ben Hogan’s Real Secret

Golf Magazine contributor and NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller explains how Ben Hogan fought his hook by curling his left wrist after impact and shows how you can cut it like Hogan.

30 thoughts on “Johnny Miller: Ben Hogan’s Real Secret

  1. Hogan used to hook so bad he almost quit golf – what Miller is describing allowed Hogan to swing freely without fear of hooking, he never allows his right-hand to go over the left, if that makes sense.

  2. There are different swing moves in golf, of course. I play to a 2 cap, so no, I do not know more than Miller. I do shoot in the 60's fairly frequently though. The engine of every type of swing, is the body's pivotal movement. In order to release to such a palm facing finish, means that your hands are less active through the ball's position. So the finish isn't a rolled over hand movement but simply completing the follow-through without manipulating the wrist or hands at any point of the arc swing. Golf is like playing hockey. In tennis and baseball, when you step into the swing, your stance is opening during that weight shift. In golf our feet are stationary. In hockey, they set their lead skate prior to the shot, and most actually lift their trailing foot through impact (somewhat like in golf.). Also, if the hands come near the thighs coming back down, it causes the club head to swing outward through the ball's position, and encourages a completed swing towards the target side of the player. Meaning the swing is faster and more powerful because it is complete on both sides of the body when completed, and no hesitation or stop, but is fluid on both sides of the player. Newtonian physics states that a change in direction creates acceleration. So that swinging outward of the club head is an acceleration aspect. THIS is why you don't have to swing hard to hit the ball far, just use proper swing mechanics. I am now 64 years old, and I carry 265-280 (depending on elevation and air moisture content). Course conditions dictate the run-out. Learn to pivot correctly. keep the hands close to the thighs, and limp wrist (relaxation), and let physics power to shot for you. Once learned, you can speed up the shoulders for more power. (Like Speith does.)

  3. I was able to shot a Seventy three after exercising the drill I`ve learned from reading these golf swing secrets “kaha shocking guide” (Google it). Another achievement I`ve made is hitting 13 of 18 greens in regulation. I also almost hit the green with a distance of 5 to 10 yards on the other 5 holes. My handicap is a 9 so I do not shoot 73s all of the time. It has been actually a long time since I made a great round.

  4. These golf swing secrets “kaha shocking guide” (Google it) go over the golf swing in great detail. The book tells the particular skills as well as swing techniques used by all golf tournament pros. I am still halfway in reading the book however I could say that the tips are really useful. I have scored Three straight low 80s rounds right after reading this book.

  5. why is he calling this a fade move? what if you hit it from an inside attack line? Isn't it as simple as the stone skimming move with the right elbow delofting the club face? honest question.

  6. Hogan played golf from the right side, and played baseball from the left. Also, as a caddy, he would wait at the green and watch his player approach the green from 150 to 200 yards, giving him a different perspective than from the fairway, there seems to be more room from that view. I learned that on my own as a kid and it changed my game. Try it.

  7. For a short period of time, Johnny Miller played the game of golf as well as it has ever been played. It doesn't mean he's always right, but when he speaks, we should all listen.

  8. OH look, 55 amateur dweebs know more than one of the greatest golfers of the last 50 years. The Internet is the great equalizer, I guess. LOL

  9. The real secret is hard work and practice, whether it is Ben Hogan or Moe Norman. They both hit millions of balls, but it needs to be focused and to achieve the goal of a better outcome.

  10. RIT vs LOP. You must know your swing. Hogan was battling a very nasty hook, hence the weak grip and all. Hogan turned to a RIT (right inside throw)

  11. THE BEST LESSON THAT WORKED FOR ME FROM A PRO NAMED PAUL KERN. HE TOLD ME, STAND UP MORE, STAND CLOSER TO THE BALL, MAKE A SHOULDER TURN, DROP YOUR HANDS, AND FOLLOW THROUGH. IF IT'S MORE DIFFICULT FOR YOU THAN THAT, TAKE UP FISHING.

  12. who gives a shit where your palm faces so far after impact – the ball is already mid flight by then. impact is the only thing that matters.

  13. Forget this fat has-been. Go look at "What is the Most Important Thing in the Golf Swing" with Ben Hogan & Sam Snead. Both of them won more times on the tour than Johnny Miller did & both are in the Hall of Fame. Let me summarize the Hogan downswing for you: "shift your weight to your left (target) side foot and leg while you turn your hips forward and around making sure your right triceps/biceps pushes against your right pectoral muscle, & then, finish high & balanced." Ben had a smooth, non violent, turning weight transition driven by his hips and his knees. Backing Hogan up is the great Sam Snead – in the video, he'll talk it through different from Hogan, but watch his knees and hips do much the same thing as Hogan's. In contrast, is Miller who won 35 times on tour and proved that he had talent as a player, however, he is inarticulate as a coach and inadequate as a teacher in these videos.

  14. Johnny Miller is a legend. At the height of his game there was no one and I mean no one who could beat him including Niclaus or Trevino!

  15. wow it is amazing how many golfers think they are experts. yeah this means you posers, er uh I mean posters. when you have won on tour, when you watch golf and call it for a living, when you have been in the presence of many greats….then open you yaps otherwise STFU

  16. People should practice cutting, hooking and hitting the ball straight. That is if they practice. You will easily learn that right palm up= fade, square = straight, down = draw. I suggest a visualization of the shot path since the hands do not have brains!

  17. Interesting analysis by Miller, however, in his day, weaker grips were used by most top pros thus leading to more hand action, today's pros use a much stronger grip, thus releasing less the club, which explains the left palm position

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