Rating: 
Summary: Local Legend - Local Author
Review: As a resident of the Fort Worth area I have heard most of the stories about Mr. Hogan. Jody brings many of these stories to reality. Although many will read this book for 'the secret', I think most will find the first-hand stories most appealing. They are humorous, insightful and revealing. It was an enjoyable read and on my gift list for friends and business associates.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Believe low Ratings on this book....
Review: Do not believe the low ratings on this book. I am a Hogan "Nut" and this was a great little book to get a refreshing glimpse of "The Man". I cannot remember the last time I laghed out loud when reading a book, but I did in several places while reading "Afternoons with Mr. Hogan". This book is written by a person who saw Ben Hogan in a very different setting, ie. as a caddie and ball shagger. Mr. Vasquez treats his subject with respect but not with the blind hero worship that sometimes accompany stories or books about Hogan.
Buy this book and enjoy a refreshing and unique look at the man, Ben Hogan!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nice job of describing a complex man
Review: I very much enjoyed this book for the heart felt short stories. What makes this book special is the fact that the author was able to spend genuine and unguarded time with a true legend of the game. I now have an understanding of Ben Hogan's beliefs as well as how much integrity he had for the game, people and his business.
With regards to the "Secret", I found something that is very interesting in what the author mentioned regarding the right knee. Another author that mentioned the exact same move with the right knee is Jimmy Ballard in his 1981 book "How to perfect your golf swing" (Out of Print). Here is the interesting part, the author of this book (Jody Vasquez), mentioned that while at the driving range of a tour event, he heard for the first time a sound of a golf ball being struck that had the same sound of Ben Hogan's ball strikes. At no other time had he ever heard this sound except by Ben Hogan. The golfer he was referring to was Hal Sutton, Jimmy Ballard was the swing coach for Hal Sutton. I believe that Jimmy Ballard was a student of the Ben Hogan's swing as he often refers to it in his book. I believe the familiar sound of the golf ball being struck was more than a coincidence, It's the implementation of the same fundamentals.
In summary, this is a great book and one that I would highly recommend it to any avid golfer.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Heart Felt Stories
Review: I very much enjoyed this book for the heart felt short stories. What makes this book special is the fact that the author was able to spend genuine and unguarded time with a true legend of the game. I now have an understanding of Ben Hogan's beliefs as well as how much integrity he had for the game, people and his business.
With regards to the "Secret", I found something that is very interesting in what the author mentioned regarding the right knee. Another author that mentioned the exact same move with the right knee is Jimmy Ballard in his 1981 book "How to perfect your golf swing" (Out of Print). Here is the interesting part, the author of this book (Jody Vasquez), mentioned that while at the driving range of a tour event, he heard for the first time a sound of a golf ball being struck that had the same sound of Ben Hogan's ball strikes. At no other time had he ever heard this sound except by Ben Hogan. The golfer he was referring to was Hal Sutton, Jimmy Ballard was the swing coach for Hal Sutton. I believe that Jimmy Ballard was a student of the Ben Hogan's swing as he often refers to it in his book. I believe the familiar sound of the golf ball being struck was more than a coincidence, It's the implementation of the same fundamentals.
In summary, this is a great book and one that I would highly recommend it to any avid golfer.
Rating:
Summary: Nice job of describing a complex man
Review: Not being a golfer, I read the book because I have always been fascinated by the mystique that surrounds Ben Hogan. Golfers have maintained an almost religious devotion to Hogan and the stories that feed into his legendary status in the game.Mr. Vasquez writes with obvious reverence as Mr. Hogan clearly had a great and sustained influence on him. However, reading it with only cursory knowledge of Mr. Hogan's life (i.e., his bus accident and long rehab), I came away feeling that Mr. Hogan is not the type of person you'd like to spend alot of time with. He is intense, intimidating, and seems to have the need to control the rules pertaining to all interactions with him. In this regard, he reminds me of other "difficult sports geniuses" like Ted Williams, Bill Russell, or Bobby Knight. Mr. Vasquez recounts that Nick Faldo paid almost $10,000 to charter a flight to visit Ben Hogan and Hogan didn't even agree to watch Faldo hit a few balls. I was also struck by the warning given to Faldo prior to his visit, "Don't ask Mr. Hogan any questions about putting." Apparently Hogan, a notoriously pedestrian putter, would end the meeting if it deviated from his "comfort zone." It's amazing how behavior that we wouldn't accept in ordinary acquaintances is okay if you have a precocious talent to hit a golf ball, throw a ball through a hoop, or run fast. Anyway, that's just my humble opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much to this book
Review: Not much here that hasn't already been written about Hogan. The so-called "Secret" is nothing more than a rehash of old swing tips that the author (a scratch golfer) apparently never thought was significant enough to incorporate in his own swing, but now after 37 years, believes is "book material". In my opinion, there isn't much to this book and it wasn't very interesting. I watched Hogan hit shag balls and that was a lot more interesting than reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great book...ignore the 1 star reviews...
Review: The 1 star reviews were written by a pitiful little man who has a personal vendetta against the author. If you read the review you understand it is an attack and not a reflection of the book material. The stories in the book are personal experience stories telling of the human side of Hogan. These stories have never appeared in print before. The reviewer is simply jealous of the experience as everyone in Ft. Worth, Texas well knows....sad that jealousy plays here...To see real reviews...go to WWW.JODYVASQUEZ.COM
Rating:
Summary: Not much to this book
Review: This is a pleasant little book of not much consequence. Golfer's probably won't learn anything about Hogan that they didn't already know, but they'll have a few more stories to share. Let's face it, he wasn't a bucket of laughs. The famous "secret" isn't all that secret. The cupped left wrist was revealed in Hogan's own book, and the action of the right knee isn't much of an addition. Frankly, the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of Hogan's clubs and practice routine. We learn here for the first time that Hogan's clubs were 4 degrees open and, hence, produced his famous power fade. Unfortunately, we're not told how he hit a hook, a shot at which he was equally adept. That would have been interesting. We also learn that he practiced from the bottom up, i.e., he hit short clubs before long clubs, and that he alternated fades and draws in succession. His command of his shotmaking is emphasized over and over, but we already knew that. So, if you're a Hogan aficionado, here's nice book to read. If you're not, there are better choices.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant but light
Review: This is a pleasant little book of not much consequence. Golfer's probably won't learn anything about Hogan that they didn't already know, but they'll have a few more stories to share. Let's face it, he wasn't a bucket of laughs. The famous "secret" isn't all that secret. The cupped left wrist was revealed in Hogan's own book, and the action of the right knee isn't much of an addition. Frankly, the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of Hogan's clubs and practice routine. We learn here for the first time that Hogan's clubs were 4 degrees open and, hence, produced his famous power fade. Unfortunately, we're not told how he hit a hook, a shot at which he was equally adept. That would have been interesting. We also learn that he practiced from the bottom up, i.e., he hit short clubs before long clubs, and that he alternated fades and draws in succession. His command of his shotmaking is emphasized over and over, but we already knew that. So, if you're a Hogan aficionado, here's nice book to read. If you're not, there are better choices.
Rating:
Summary: Answers Are In The Dirt!
Review: This is simply a great book on one of, if not the best golfer ever. He did it with intense work, not pr or friendliness. He knew the golf swing for himself, and demonstrated that. Here an amazing sharing of his involvement with this man, a young man who shags balls and watches, and shags and watches and interacts for the rest of their lives together. The simpleness, yet dramaticness of this relationship is revealed in brevity in terms of words and pages, but pondering what goes on in these 160 pages is intense and profitable for golfers. For those outside golf, Hogan must come off as insolent and insensitive. Yet, he is ultimate golfer. The Swing Secret is revealed, and it is amazing, right knee and left wrist. Am going to find out "in the dirt myself." The stories here are priceless and will continue the great mystique and rightful place of the Hawk. Favorites include the response to the German pro watching him during Kostis GD story, "You're a golf pro. You should know the answer." The second was the ad shoot. Hogan readies himself for filming hitting three consecutive terrible swings. Then on cue, perfect contact and swing. People want the easy way out. To hurdle over the time and expenditure of effort and toil and yes, dirt. Hogan was not of this mold. Golfers appreciate this. You must find yourself and have confidence that you know what the shot required feels like and can repeat it. A rare one to be reread, and rethought, and used "in the dirt." Thanks, Jody.
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