general

It's true. Leadbetter and McClain have both found problems with Hogan's Five Lessons, especially for those who do not share his physique or his typical swing faults. Mann's Swing Like a Pro describes the modern golf swing much better, and the LAWS of the Golf Swing describes how golfers of different physical styles tend to strike the ball most effectively.

Still, this book is a classic that every golfer should own.

By today's standards Hogan was short, wiry, with unusually powerful shoulders and arms. What Leadbetter and McClain do not mention is that people who share Hogan's physique (like me) can pretty much take every word as gospel. If you have the same sort of physique and follow everything in this book, from the grip and stance to the backswing, the backstroke and swing planes, driving with the hips, and supinating the left wrist through impact, then you will get a very impressive swing, especially with irons. Woods may take a little adjustment, and for the short game and putting see Dave Pelz's Bibles. For pure ball striking, this is a perfect description of the classic golf swing.

I've been told that though Hogan was a deep thinker on the subject of the full swing, that he was the best putter on tour during his winning years. It's too bad he didn't put his thoughts on putting down on paper, because if he had, it would be THE classic on that topic too.

GET THIS BOOK !!!
Repeat GET IT NOW and it will, without a doubt IMPROVE YOUR GAME and outlook on golf 10 fold! I have had and read this book like a bible over the past 3 months and I will tell you unequivocally, It is simply the best book on what makes a golf swing a TRUE golf swing. I have been a golfer for 20 years and through all the articles I have read, any lessons I have taken, none have come close to breaking down what the mechanics of a golf swing truly are.
This book takes you from the start to a finish of a solid fundamental golf swing. As every individual has their own style, I would recommend once you learn these basics, make your own minor adjustments to suit your own physical limitations due to factors such as flexibility and body size.
Now I have to tell you, I am slow to comprehend and grasp new ideas but once I catch them, if they are indeed true, I embrace and preach upon them like a priest in the church. This book is a true awakening for a golfer and what it takes to make a real golf swing.
The amazing results of this book and what a golfer actually experiences when making a true swing as a result of the study of this book are absolutely astonishing. You should make this book your BIBLE to a great golf swing. The results you see (and feel) will leave you in total awe of how simple a great golf swing is and how easily it can be accomplished.
I endorse this book 100% and promise you will not be disappointed. Indeed you will be delighted and your game will see the dawn of a new day.
5 ***** book. A MUST for every golfer

This classic is an exceptional, readable, and all-encompassing study of the golf swing. I learned much about my swing studying this book. The only problem I encountered was none of the information was very relavant to me or the vast majority of golfers who suffer from a slice.

Ben Hogan had a strong hook and much of this book includes his corrections to overcome this deficit and straighten out his swing. However, for the slicer, these corrections do the opposite - my slice was worse than ever after following Hogan's advice and I couldn't correct it.

An excellent book, for starters or as a follow-on to Hogan's "Five Lessons", is Leadbetter's "The Fundamentals of Hogan". Leadbetter reviews the Hogan swing, then tells why it doesn't work for most (Hogan was double-jointed, Hogan was correcting his hook, etc.) and what you should really do. After Leadbetter, I did straighten out my swing.

Both books break the swing down into 5 parts: Grip, Stance, Backswing, Downswing, Summary.

While Hogan's book was groundbreaking and certainly deserves a read, if you want to learn a basic swing, Leadbetter's is far more encompassing and just as readable.