Essay/Term paper: Ben hogan

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Biography Term Papers

Ben Hogan


Ben Hogan had more dedication than any athlete today. Throughout
his life Mr.Hogan overcame a very traumatic childhood, recovered from
a nearly fatal head-on collision with a bus and built a golf
equipment empire.

Ben Hogan was born in a small town in Texas called Dublin. He was
one of three children. When Ben was only six years old he witnessed
his father commit suicide while playing in the same room. " At age
nine my childhood was shot through the heart".(p.14) obviously Hogan
was traumatize by the tragedy. Hogan's instinctive reaction was to
become protective of his mother. After the suicide the family underwent
serious financial problems. To do his part Ben began selling newspapers,
until he heard that their was big money to be made at the local
golf club for caddies. This was Hogan's ticket into golf, with golf
being considered a "rich man's" game Hogan probably would never have
started playing golf. Because of the poor wages the caddies recieved,
most of the caddies made money by gambling on golf, this was where
Hogan's dedication was shown even as a child. Hogan was much smaller
than any of they other caddies so they usually beat him. But Hogan
wouldn't accept it, instead he would show up for work a couple of
hours early and practice his heart out, " Sometimes I practised until
my hands bled."(p.11) Finally he began winning the bets, but also
caddy and junior tournaments too.

Secondly, on February 1, 1949 Hogan was on top of the world,
having won the US OPEN, the MASTERS and appearing on the cover of Time
life Magazine. Until he collided head on with a twenty thousand pound
passenger bus. Hogan suffered a broken collarbone, broken left ankle,
broken right leg, broken pelvis and a few broken ribs. In the weeks
after the accident several other complications occurred like blood clots
in his lungs, the doctors said he would probably never play competative
golf again. However in the months of recovery that followed, Hogan
practiced the things he could do with his injuries like practice his
short game. For the next thirteen months Hogan practiced to the best
of his ability, gradually improving. Thirteen months later he entered
the L.A open and finished second this demonstration shocked the world,
for it was only thirteen months earlier people thought they would
never see Hogan play again.

In 1953 Hogan decided to produce his own line of clubs. In 1954,
after a year of struggling sales, Hogan bought out his partners due
too "creative differences".Hogan took time off his regular playing
schedule in order to over see operations of his plant and to, "see if
I can make some damn money out of this thing."(p.207) Hogan worked
harder than anyone in '54 designing clubs that he liked and felt were
traditional. But it wasn't until he realized people wanted something
new, that he made money. After his revolutionary cavity back design
made his company number one in sales he decided he had done enough.
Hogan decided to sell the company. He sold the company that he started
for only 500 000 dollars thirty years later, for approximately 210
million dollars.

In conclusion, Ben Hogan had a difficult life filled with adversity.
But he made the best of what was given to him. He overcame a
traumatic childhood too become the best golfer of his time. When
doctors told him he probably wouldn't play golf again because of his
accident, he decided he wasn't finished yet and practiced his way back
to his old form and in to the record books. And finally when his own
friends didn't have faith in the company he built he bought them out ,
put a lot of hard work into it and sold it for millions. Ben Hogan
was a truly dedicated champion.