biographies

Kudos to James Dodson, who enthralls readers with his account of the life of golfing legend Ben Hogan. From the suicide of Hogan's father, his newspaper hawking at crowded train stations to help his family make ends meet, and his dogged pursuit of caddying opportunities and, ultimately, his single-minded quest for success in the world of professional golf, Dodson portrays a great champion that was full of contradictions. Hogan craved solitude, yet occasionally basked in the adulation of his many fans. He could be short and rude with reporters, yet gracious and generous with so many others outside of the glare of cameras or the pens of reporters. Hogan suffered some epic tournament collapses as he struggled to master his game, yet he became one of the greatest fourth-round players in PGA history. Along the way, he fashioned one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, emerging from a potentially fatal and debilitating automobile accident to enjoy his greatest victories in tournament golf.

Dodson uses his unprecedented access to primary source materials and correspondance from Hogan's life to masterfully tell the complicated tale of this amazing champion. This book is a "must read" for any fan of golf, or anyone who cherishes stories of human triumph in the face of incredible adversity.

I am so grateful for this book. A previous, unauthorized biography based much on the author's conjecture, painted a less than flattering picture of arguably golf's greatest hero, the only man to win five U.S. Opens, and nearly several more. This authorized biography, resplendent with stories and comments from family, friends, fellow golfers, employees, etc., reveals the real man the public seldom saw and the reasons why. It rivals the best of Horatio Alger's rags to riches stories and it is true.

The rich description of life on the Tour before the days of television was particullarly interesting, telling the story of how the Tour was really built by the likes of Hogan, Snead, Nelson, Demaret, and the other champions of their era. Their efforts and perseverance created the wave that latter day stars rode to unbelievable popularity via the benefit of TV.

Congratulations and thanks to Dodson for a wonderful work.

Finally a book that lets you see the golfer and the man more clearly than ever before. This is simply a great read about a complex and driven individual. Having been a Hogan "nut" for many years, this book is a close as we will ever get to him. It is also extremely well-written and I hated for the story to end. Not just for golf fanatics, this is a biography about an American who lived the dream.