While making my daily rounds I came across a post at beginner golfing that mentioned a 20 questions article on PGA.com. In this article, four golf professionals are asked 20 questions, one being “What is the best golf book you have ever read?”

Tiger Woods and Michael Campbell both chose “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf” (by Ben Hogan) as their favorite golf book. Seeing as two professionals recommended this book, I decided to see what “normal” golfers though of it.

Golf Gear Review gives the book 5 out of 5:

Likes: Thorough descriptions of Ben Hogan’s swing. Trust me, his swing works. I’ve never hit better long game shots.

Dislikes: Ben Hogan teaches a very weak grip. Some people may not like this. It doesn’t bother me at all because I do fight occasional hooks and strong draws.

Summary: Great book for anyone looking for more consistency in their long game.

It also received an average user rating of 5 out of 5 on Barnes & Noble. One reviewer writes:

Timeless Basics - A Must Have

This book is excellent. Ben has transcended time. Swings change, but not the fundamentals and Hogan’s book is as accurate today as it was when he played. Simple explanations for every level of golfer. People may not know this, but many tour players carry this book in their golf bags for quick reference. Beginners can understand it and Professionals appreciate it.

Tour players carry this book in their golf bags? Impressive.

The overall rating was slightly less on Amazon.com at 4.5 out of 5. One of the lowest ratings had this to say:

The Most Misunderstood Book In The World

My advice is this. Buy this book. Read it once through. Then buy David Leadbetter’s book called “The Fundamentals of Hogan,” and read it once through. You will then understand the origin of modern golf teaching, and see how it has evolved over the past fifty years. If you have any doubts, buy Tiger Woods’ book called “How I Play Golf” and you will see that even Tiger agrees that Hogan’s advice simply does not work for the average golfer.

Update: For an analysis of the points covered in this book, check out my posts about Hogan’s five golfing fundamentals.