Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Ben Hogan was one of the greatest golfers who ever played the game, if only for his win following his car accident. He was one of the most hard working golfers who spent hours perfecting his game.He was also a very private person who during his life disclosed very little of himself to any body other than his closest friends. That was his wish in life and I believe should be respected now. This book is nothing more than some comments and anecdotes about Mr Hogan that do little to improve our view of the man or what he thought primarily because he did not want us to know. The stories are from relatively insignificant people with the exception of Ken Venturi and Byron Nelson and are in the main little less than gossip. Mr Hogan's real friends and close family would have given little away. There are very few biographies of Ben Hogan for the very reason in that he was not an open figure. If you want some insight into Hogan read Curt Sampson's book not this one. I believe Mike Towle was well intentiioned but the product is disappointing and really adds very little to our real understanding of Ben Hogan.
Rating: 
Summary: A whiff
Review: If ever there was a prime example of a lazy way to write, "I Remember Ben Hogan" is it. It's a fine specimen of lousy research, poor editing and using the name of an enigmatic, legendary figure to sell a book. It reads like the author contacted some of Hogan's acquaintances and asked them to phone in or drop a note with one or two memories of The Hawk. Then he copies them down and publishes them, verbatim. Most of these recollections are about as dry as a sand trap in the Sahara. For instance, one of the recollections is from the waiter who served Mr. Hogan at Shady Oaks. His memory: "I waited on him almost every day. He would order a cup of bean soup, toast, bacon, stuff like that, He would eat scrambled eggs and bacon." The book is full of these dry-as-toast tidbits. It's a wonder it doesn't cover how Mr. Hogan went to the bathroom. But, wait a minute, it does! We learn that the great Ice Man wore button-up trousers because he was worried about leaving his fly down after a pit stop during a tournament. Unfortunately, that's the most revealing thing you'll learn about Ben Hogan in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF GOLF'S MOST FAMOUS LEGEND
Review: In I REMEMBER BEN HOGAN, dozens of Hogan's confidants, peers, and apprentices candidly reveal their memories of and insights into "the Hawk." Included are more than one hundred original stories and observations offered especially for this book. Contributors include long-time CBS golf analyst and Hogan confidant Ken Venturi; prominent senior golfers John Mahaffey, George Archer, Lee Trevino, Rocky Thompson, Hale Irwin, and Bruce Fleisher; LPGA star Kris Tschetter, who was befriended and mentored by Hogan the last ten years of his life; Hogan's niece Jacqueline Hogan Towery, his closest surviving relative; and many of Hogan's Fort Worth "inner circle," including business partners, his personal physician, secretary, and attorney.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting insights!!
Review: It's fascinating to me that a guy as reclusive as Hogan could command so much public adoration and curiosity. This is a book that offers a lot of neat stories about Hogan that I had never read. A bunch of people who knew Hogan, both well-known and not so well known, tell their stories about Hogan in their own words---in oral history form. I've read a couple of other books on the Hawk and those were nice reads in their own way as well. I read the other reviews on this page and don't understand why "clucas" called this a "duck hook." It isn't--it's not John Feinstein-caliber, but it's still worth the price. Sounds like some bitterness being expressed by clucas, probably someone who doesn't know anything what it takes to win at golf or can recognize good book writing.
Rating: 
Summary: outstanding look into the most mysterious golfer
Review: The beauty of this book is that it is a series of mini-books wrapped up under one cover. It's not a biography by any means - it is a compilation of stories about Hogan told by many golf greats and unknowns alike. Hogan stayed out of the limelight as much as possible and is remembered as a workman-like surgeon on the course and the practice range. Nobody could see into the man's mind, but this book really paints an interesting picture. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific book
Review: The last two reviewers before me couldn't have read the same book I did. The whole point is that while Hogan is such a legendary figure inspiring tremendous curiosity, information about him has come out in bits and pieces over the years. There were dozens of tidbits in this book that were revelatory to me, and I'm someone who lived in Fort Worth many years while the reclusive Mr. Hogan was still alive. I found this book really good and informative, and full of new material. Based on its oral-history format, and the author's own admission in the introduction, this wasn't supposed to be an earthshaking biography full of dirt. Instead, it offers a lot of nifty snapshots about Hogan from people, a number of whom were his close freinds that, while not celebrities, had insights into Hogan's real life that "celebrities" who thought they knew him didn't. This book is definitely worth at least one read.
Rating:
Summary: you'll either love it or hate it...
Review: there seems no in between. I have 800+ golf books and have read everything just about everything on Hogan. (What club did he REALLY hit at Merion in the famous photo?). Due to the negative reviews I didn't get to this one for a while. When I did, I truly enjoyed it. Is some info repeated? Sure. But this is mostly new, original and genuine investigation, not reguritation. If you are a golf and golf history BUFF I think you will enjoy. If not, pass and read the more current books. (a 2 iron.)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: This book really gave some great insights into Hogan as not only a golfer but a man. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about him.
Rating:
Summary: Hogan - the mystery and mystique
Review: This work is an outstanding collection of insights into the pysche of Ben Hogan told from the perspective of his friends and rivals. These stories helped me to understand who Ben Hogan really was and the substantial impact that Hogan had on the development of professional golf. The variety, and depth of the recollections combined to produce a very readable book that is a must for any Hogan enthusiast. I have read other works about Ben Hogan but this collection allowed me to see him in a new way and gave a depth to him that I had previously missed. Pick this one up and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: A duck hook
Review: While I understand that any author that wants to write about The Hawk will have his work cut out for him, it seems that Towle took the path of least resistance. A couple of phone calls here, 5 minutes of editing there, and you're left with a book that tells you two things: 1.) Hogan was a gruff but soft-on-the-inside guy. 2.) Hogan got the yips later in life. Those who want to learn more than those two points would be better off avoiding this book.
| 
