It has been decades since the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company was a major industry brand. But the news last month of the club maker ceasing operations, perhaps permanently, still caused consternation among traditionalists in the game, to say nothing of the men and women who worked at the Fort Worth, Texas-based concern.
There is the iconic name, of course, and the signature signature on each iron, wood and wedge. The legacy of his tournament wins, too, and the way Hogan played the game. When the nine-time major-championship winner talked about the golf swing, people listened – and very carefully.
As for the irons, woods and wedges the Hawk designed and manufactured, they were loved and lauded by serious players, for the way they performed and also how they looked.
“His clubs were jewelry to us,” said Bob Ford, a longtime PGA of America club professional, as he recalled how he and so many of his peers put Hogan clubs in their bags in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.
"Hogan has been a tertiary brand that long ago ...