Rethinking Hogan is at the intersection of my interests in competitive golf, psychiatry and psychology, neuroscience, and Ben Hogan. At the onset of the research, I sought to clarify and expand on the psychological interpretations of Hogan’s personality and psyche as described by other authors. In particular, I doubted that the suicide of Hogan’s father explains all there is to know about Ben Hogan, contrary to what several other authors have stated.

As the research proceeded, during which I conducted interviews and unearthed new primary source materials, many other aspects of the life of the Hogan family emerged. For instance, it became clear that many myths about the family were simply not true.

In the end, the book covers a lot more ground than I originally anticipated. And the book acknowledges aspects of Hogan’s remarkable skills and insights that have previously gone unnoticed or were only partially explained, especially in the realm of sports psychology.

We all know that Hogan was the greatest ball striker of all time. We also know that he was an autodidact who mastered the physics of golf and excelled in the engineering of high-quality golf equipment. But we have underestimated his mastery of golf psychology.

Another area of misunderstanding about Hogan is his putting. While he had significant problems with putting throughout his career, especially late in his life, he could also be a magnificent putter. Putting wizard Bobby Locke considered Hogan the world’s best putter in 1953. Byron Nelson told me that in Hogan’s prime, he could go weeks without missing a three-foot putt. At the end of the book, I discuss the characteristics of the numerous putters in the club collection at the Ben Hogan Foundation and theorize about what plagued Hogan’s putting at times.