Ben Hogan designs/influences - are there any?

[Shane Gurnett]

The great man has been gone for some time now, but what was his contribution to architecture, if anything? From my readings he had some strong views on what made a good hole, and what didn't, but he seems to have left us without a design legacy.

Perhaps the same could be said for Snead, Hagen and Nelson. Is this the missing era of course designers?

[Tony Ristola]

Hogan's only involvement in architeture was The Trophy Club...had influenced a generation against blind shots as he disliked them.  Wonder if Pete Dye was influenced by this before he met Tommy Armour.

Nelson was involved with the restoration of the 8th green at Augusta after Cliff Roberts butchered it for spectator purposes.  Nelson, who didn't have any reference photo's during the job (couldn't find any?!) had the green completed when they found a reference photo.  The green his team recreated was almost an exact duplicate of the original.

[TEPaul]

These guys were definitely the premier trumvirate of tournament players of their era. My understanding is that they didn't do much at all in the area of design. But my understanding of what little they did do was not memorable at all. And that considering what they might have done would indicate that it probably was a good thing that they stuck primarily to playing tournament golf throughout their career and lifes!

[John_McMillan]

Hogan is credited with suggesting the addition of a bunker to the right of the 15'th green at Augusta National.  In Mackenzie's design, there was a mound to the right of the green, and shorter hitters would play their second shots to the right of the green, and try to get them to kick off the mound to the green.  One could guess that Hogan didn't like this "boost" to players shorter and less straight than himself, and suggested turning the mound into a bunker, to further reward the player who could make the shot directly for the green.

Walter Hagen is credited with the design of a daily fee course north of Port Huron, Michigan.  I haven't yet played it, but am curious to get over there sometime to check it out.  The hope is that it contains as much short game creativity as Hagen's game did.

[John_D._Bernhardt]

I would like to think Ben Hogan impacted the way we look at practice today.

[Ran Morrissett]

I think John B. may be exactly right. Otherwise, I would say that Hogan had no impact.

Interestingly enough, a friend who played with him in the mid 1970s recalled Hogan saying that he preferred courses to have flat greens. And yet to me, the way to identify the player is to ask him to hit the ball to precise spots on a green/fairway (ala at Merion and Augusta for example).

How could Hogan readily distance himself from the competition if the greens were flat and it didn't matter where you placed your approach/drive?

Perhaps Hogan's remark should be viewed as having been said in the 1970s after having been stricken with putting woes.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Ran,
Did not Ben Hogan's precision play have an influence on the way courses were set-up for US Opens? Also, do you think that he may have thought that on a flat green he could stick it to a foot everywhere??