On this page you will find my favorite collection of famous and inspirational Ben Hogan quotes.
There are of course more Ben Hogan golf quotes, but these are my personal favorites that I return to for inspiration every now and then and I would like to share them with you.
Every time I read these quotes by Hogan I get a boost - either to practice harder, play more often or simply to remember how fortunate I am to be able to play this game alongside my friends on the course.
Since Mr. Hogan is my hero I would also like to give you a brief biography before we move on to the quotes.
Here’s what you need to know...
(Or click here if you want to skip directly to the best Ben Hogan quotes.)
Who is Ben Hogan and where is he from?
He was born 1912 in Dublin, Texas and he and the family moved to Fort Worth when Ben was nine. Known as the best ballstriker ever, the mystique that surrounded him and his secret to the swing occupy the minds of golfers worldwide still today.
What are Ben Hogan's Five Lessons?
Considered one of the best books on golf ever written, these golf fundamentals stand the test of time and is a must read for every golfer.
What was Ben Hogan's home course?
After his retirement his home course was Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
What happened to Ben Hogan?
In 1949 at age 36 he and his wife were hit by a bus that was driving on the wrong side of the road when on their way home from the Phoenix Open. He suffered severe injuries and it was far from obvious that he would ever be able to walk again.
When did Ben Hogan retire?
He stopped playing competitive golf in 1971.
How many majors did Ben Hogan win?
Mr Hogan won nine majors over the course of his career:
1946, 1948 - PGA Championship
1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 - U.S. Open
1951, 1953 - Masters Tournament
1953 - The Open Championship
Who was Ben Hogan's caddy?
Jack Handley caddied for Hogan once in the Chicago Open, a story told by John Coyne in The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan.
However, who caddied for Mr Hogan isn’t a simple question to answer, since at that era players weren’t allowed to bring their own caddies to many tournaments.
What clubs did Ben Hogan use?
The clubs he used varied over the years. Around 1953, at some point he carried a MacGregor Tourney driver, a MacGregor personal model sand wedge and MacGregor personal model irons ranging from 3 to PW for example. At other points in his career he relied on the 2 iron through the 9 iron.
What putter did Ben Hogan use?
The kinds of putters Mr Hogan used over the years varied as well. Among the putters he used you find the Gerry Glynn putter, the MacGregor Spur Putter, the Macgregor Parmaker and a center shafted (exact balance) putter that later became patented by the Hogan Golf Company.
Where is the Ben Hogan Museum?
I’m still to make this trip and I hope it one day will be true. You find the Ben Hogan Museum in his childhood home of Dublin, Texas. If you too are still to make this trip, at least make sure you read the story about the greatest ballstriker to ever play the game on their website.
When did Ben Hogan die?
Mr Hogan passed away on July 25, 1997 in Fort Worth, Texas, at age 84 after some years of illness. He is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park, Fort Worth.
The Hogan Golf Company
Ben Hogan golf clubs are made in the USA and forged even today in Fort Worth where he lived. The company has seen a rocky road, but seems to be doing fine these days. With a business model focusing only on online sales, you buy your next set of Hogan clubs directly from their website.
# 1
“Like most professional golfers, I have a tendency to remember my poor shots a shade more vividly than the good ones.”
# 2
“As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.”
This is one of the Ben Hogan inspirational quotes I return to frequently. It’s a personal favorite of mine.
# 3
“I liked to win, but more than anything, I loved to play the way I wanted to play”
# 4
“If we could have just screwed another head on his shoulders, he would have been the greatest golfer who ever lived.”
# 5
"Golf is not a game of good shots. It's a game of bad shots."
# 6
“If the Masters offered no money at all, I would be here trying just as hard.”
# 7
"People have always been telling me what I can't do. I guess I have wanted to show them. That's been one of my driving forces all my life."
# 8
“The average golfer's problem is not so much the lack of ability as it is lack of knowledge about what he should be doing”
# 9
"There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground."
# 10
“I hate a hook. It nauseates me. I could vomit when I see one. It's like a rattlesnake in your pocket.”
# 11
“I never played a round when I didn't learn something new about the game.”
# 12
“This is a game of misses. The guy who misses the best is going to win.”
# 13
"The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight."
# 14
“Every day you miss playing or practicing is one day longer it takes to be good.”
# 15
“You never fight your eye when you look at a hole. If it looks one way, play it that way. Don't make a big deal out of an easy shot.”
# 16
“A shot that goes in the cup is pure luck, but a shot to within two feet of the flag is skill.”
I use to think about this Ben Hogan luck quote every time I hit it close and the few times I hole it from far away.
# 17
"I play with friends, but we don't play friendly games."
# 18
"I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games."
# 19
"Relax? How can anybody relax and play golf? You have to grip the club don't you?"
# 20
“Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing.”
# 21
“I don't believe there is anything like a natural golf swing. A golf swing is an unnatural thing, and it has to be developed.”
Among the Ben Hogan swing quotes, this one makes me think of my early days when swinging the club felt unnatural every time.
# 22
"There are no shortcuts in the quest for perfection."
# 23
"I have never achieved what I thought was success. Golf to me is a business, a livelihood in doing the thing that I like to do. I don't like the glamour. I just like the game."
# 24
“Relax? How can anybody relax and play golf? You have to grip the club, don't you?”
# 25
"I dreamed I made 17 holes-in-one, and the on the 18th hole I lipped the cup and I was madder than hell."
# 26
"I'm glad I brought this course, this monster, to its knees."
# 27
“All other things being equal, greens break to the west.”
# 28
“I have really enjoyed every minute I have spent in golf - above all, the many wonderful friends I have made. I have loved playing the game and practicing it. Whether my schedule for the following day called for a tournament round or merely a trip to the practice tee, the prospect that there was going to be golf in it made me feel privileged and extremely happy, and I couldn't wait for the sun to come up the next morning so that I could get out on the course again”
Some of the Ben Hogan practice quotes stick more than others. I try to stop and reflect every now and then on how fortunate I am to get the opportunity to play this great game and to be part of everything else that comes with it.
# 29
"I hate a hook. It nauseates me. I could vomit when I see one. It's like a rattlesnake in your pocket."
# 30
"Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing."
Another of the Ben Hogan swing quotes. I use to think about this one every time I take a lesson from the pro.
# 31
"Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is 80-percent of winning golf."
# 31
“Every day that you don't practice is one day longer before you achieve greatness”
One more of the Ben Hogan quotes on practice - good to have when you need an excuse to get from the house and to the course.
# 32
“You only hit a straight ball by accident. The ball is going to move right or left every time you hit it, so you had better make it go one way or the other.”
# 33
"You only hit a straight ball by accident. The ball is going to move right or left every time you hit it, so you had better make it go one way or the other."
# 34
"When asked by a golfer for advice on why so many of the golfer's shots go left: "Why don't you aim more to the right?""
# 35
"You never fight your eye when you look at a hole. If it looks one way, play it that way. Don’t make a big deal out of an easy shot."
# 36
“I see no reason that a golf course cannot be played in 18 birdies. Just because no one has ever done that doesn't mean it can't be done.”
# 37
"I always outworked everybody. Work never bothered me like it bothers some people."
# 38
“I dreamed one night that I had 17 holes-in-one and one two, and when I woke up I was so goddam mad.”
# 39
"The most important shot in golf is the next one."
# 40
"After winning the 1951 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, the longest U.S. Open course to that time:
# 41
"I’m glad that I brought this course, this monster, to its knees.""
# 42
“The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight.”
# 43
“I could not wait for the sun to come up the next morning so that I could get out on the course again.”
# 44
“I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.”
# 45
“The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball.”
# 46
“Hitting a golf ball and putting have nothing in common. They're two different games. You work all your life to perfect a repeating swing that will get you to the greens, and then you have to try to do something that is totally unrelated. There shouldn't be any cups, just flag sticks. And then the man who hit the most fairways and greens and got closest to the pins would be the tournament winner.”
When I read this Ben Hogan putting quote it also strikes me that sometimes I wish the fairways were bigger too.
# 47
“If a man can shoot 10 birdies, there's no reason why he can't shoot 18. Why can't you birdie every hole on the course?”
# 48
“You hear stories about me beating my brains out practicing, but the truth is, I was enjoying myself. I couldn't wait to get up in the morning, so I could hit balls. When I'm hitting the ball where I want, hard and crisply, it's a joy that very few people experience.”
# 49
"This is a game of misses. The guy who misses the best is going to win."
# 50
“Golf is 20 percent talent and 80 percent management.”
# 51
"If we could have just screwed another head on his shoulders, he would have been the greatest golfer who ever lived."
# 52
"The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball."
# 53
“Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is eighty percent of winning golf.”
# 54
“I play with friends, but we don't play friendly games.”
# 55
“Good golf begins with a good grip.”
# 56
“People have always been telling me what I can't do. I guess I have wanted to show them. That's been one of my driving forces all my life.”
# 57
"I always outworked everybody. Work never bothered me as it bothers some people.”
# 58
“The most important shot in golf is the next one.”
# 59
“Hit the ball up to the hole... You meet a better class of people up there.”
# 60
“I have always felt and said that a man who can be a champion in one era could be a champion in any other era because he has what it takes to reach the top.”
# 61
"A good round of golf is if you can hit about three shots that turnout exactly as you planned them."
# 62
"I couldn't wait for the sun to come up the next morning so that I could get out on the course again."
# 63
“Your name is the most important thing you own. Don't ever do anything to disgrace or cheapen it.”
# 64
"There isn’t enough daylight in any one day to practice all the shots you need to."
# 65
“May thy ball lie in green pastures, and not in still waters.”
# 66
"For myself and other serious golfers, there is an undeniable beauty in the way a fine player sets his hands on the club."
# 67
“Shoot a lower score than everybody else.”
# 68
“If you can't outplay them, outwork them.”
# 69
“I don't like the glamour. I just like the game.”
# 70
"Every day that I missed practicing takes me one day longer to be good."
# 71
“I have found the game to be, in all factualness, a universal language wherever I traveled at home or abroad.”
# 72
“I'm glad I brought this course, this monster, to its knees.”
# 73
“Golf is not a game of good shots. It's a game of bad shots.”
# 74
“There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground.”
# 75
“There are no shortcuts in the quest for perfection.”
# 76
"You have to give careful thought to every shot. Every shot sets up what you are going to do next. Every shot has to be placed correctly. Don't ever just hit a shot without thinking it through."