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. I'd be at the practice tee at the crack of dawn, hit balls for a few hours, then take a break and get right back to it. And I still thoroughly enjoy it. When I'm hitting the ball where I want, hard and crisply - when anyone is - it's a joy that very few people experience.
Ben HoganReverse 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.
Ben HoganI dreamed one night that I had 17 holes-in-one and one two, and when I woke up I was so goddam mad.
Ben HoganThere's no set time or schedule for developing one's skills as a professional golfer, and it certainly doesn't come overnight. It's a muscle-memory exercise that comes over time.
Ben HoganPeople 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.
Ben HoganI don't believe there is anything like a natural golf swing. A golf swing is an unnatural thing, and it has to be developed.
Ben HoganPlacing the ball in the right position for the next shot is eighty percent of winning golf.
Ben HoganYou 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.
Ben HoganControl is the main thing, and the tee shot is the most important shot in golf. You've got to hit the fairway before you have a good chance of putting the ball close to the pin. You can be the greatest iron player in the world, but if you're in the boondocks it won't do you any good.
Ben HoganI 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
Ben HoganAs you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.
Ben HoganIf 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?
Ben HoganI 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.
Ben HoganA shot that goes in the cup is pure luck, but a shot to within two feet of the flag is skill.
Ben HoganThere is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground.
Ben HoganLike most professional golfers, I have a tendency to remember my poor shots a shade more vividly than the good ones.
Ben HoganJesus Christ can't hit a golf ball straight. It's virtually impossible - at best it's an accident.
Ben HoganI could not wait for the sun to come up the next morning so that I could get out on the course again.
Ben HoganThe truth is, the first golf club I owned was an old left-handed, wooden-shafted, rib-faced mashie that a fellow gave me, and that's the club I was weaned on. During the mornings we caddies would bang the ball up and down the practice field until the members arrived and it was time to go to work. So I did all that formative practice left-handed. But I'm a natural right-hander.
Ben Hogan