[.ca] Power Golf (ISBN 0671729055)

Hogan's Wisdom:
Always interested in getting better in the field of my golf game, I read this book with the hopes of gleaning some useful information on the swing, and how to hit the ball farther. Hogan offers a breakdown of the swing, and it is easy to follow. Not only is the book illustrated, Hogan did a nice job articulating how to get better and hit it longer. One thing I found that was very helpful was in the last two pages, Hogan talks about course management, and tricks to saving shots when you are playing in all types of conditions. This was a very informative and useful section of the book. There are many golf-instruction books out there, and this book stands the test of time, as did Hogan's golf game. I recommend it to any golfer.

Further Insight into a Legend:
Although it is often overshadowed by his second book, 5 Lessons:The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, Hogan's first book, Power Golf, still deserves it's place on any golf addicts bookshelf. Power Golf offers Hogans wisdom on other facets of the game than the full swing, especially shotmaking. The difference in the quality of writing can easily be understood because Hogan wrote his first book alone and the second with the help of one of the greatest golf writers of all time, Herbert Warren Wind. I found this book to be a fascinating look at the way Hogan played the game and a great source for more of the clear practical thought that we found in 5 Lessons.

Dated info plus things that never change:
This book is best geared to beginning golfers who want a broad view of what different clubs are for and to get a general idea of how the game is to be played. Illustraitons accompany everything described, and is a good match for Hogan's Five Lessons. One thing that should be kept in mind, however, is that the info in the book is somewhat dated in regards to equipment and some parts of the swing. For example, Hogan calls the forward bend in the downswing for a driver a natural part of the swing, which for his day it was. Now, we look at it as the right time to use a stiffer shaft as the premature whipping of the shaft leads to inconsistant shots. Putting is also another area the book is not great on explainations, but this has more to do with Hogan's own view of putting more than anything else. If you don't want to pay more to get the PGA Manual or another, more complete and modern volume on golf, or simply want to see what has and has not changed in golf over the past 60+ years, this would be a good book to pick up. For the beginner as well this may help add some light to a few aspects of the game that are not clear from other, more extensive books.

But only one star if you're expecting instructional help:
This was written in 1948 and is utterly useless as a "how to" guide for a beginning or intermediate golfer in 2001. I'm sure that even Hogan, if he were alive, would tell you not to buy it as an instructional guide. It is, however, FANTASTIC for the scores of photographs of Hogan at all stages of his swing. You'll clearly see why this man hit the ball in a way that we amateurs never will and 99% of professionals never will. As someone else pointed out, this is Hogan's swing before his near-fatal accident and before he developed a controlled fade. Some of the positions he achieves are mind-boggling and completely beyond anyone without his supreme talent. For the best quality in the photographs, I'd look for a used hard-cover copy (they are still plentiful). Buy this, but only as a piece of golf history. For instruction from Hogan, buy Five Fundamentals or one of the recent videos analyzing his swing.

Ben's second best by a long way.:
Ben only wrote two books that is why this book is second best. Hogan's second book, 'The Modern Fundamentals' is almost unrecognizable compared to this book. This book was written before Ben Hogan made his swing change which led to him becoming the best ball striker of all time. I would recommend this book only to those interested in learning about Ben's early game. I must emphasize, this has nothing to do with playing good golf. Read this book, find out what Ben Hogan did before he became good, but do not practice anything written in this book.