Hogan vs. Snead now on DVD
 

One of the more interesting items I brought into my pro shop is the classic Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match between Ben Hogan and Sam Snead from the Houston Country Club on February 21, 1965 now available on DVD. In addition to the match and the classic tips from both legends, there are additions bonus features not found on the original VHS cassette; Hogan and Snead in there own words as well as brief biographies on both.

As some of you know, I have been collecting everthing I could possibly find on Hogan for the past 30+ years; video, articles, books (I was even a Hogan staff player for a number of years just because I admired the man so much)...I had never seen the 1989 Hogan interview before. Although the interview was brief it is well worth watching, especially if you are a "Hogan nut" like me.

It should be avialable at your local pro shop shortly for $29.95.

I'll look for the DVD... I have the VHS. It is up in my office, seperate from any other tapes we have in the house. I probably look at it a once a month nowdays. That was some performance by Hogan... every fairway, every green (including at least 1 par 5 in 2) of course he putted poorly ("I finally got it on the right jerk" on his first birdie) but what a show. And I believe that was on a wet 7200 yds wasn't it?

Into each one's life a little rain must fall
 

You are correct sir! The match had to be delayed early in the round due to a lightning storm. The course was almost unplayable. I believe it caused a two to three hour delay. Notice Hogans pants are rolled up at the bottom after the storm, along with some muddy black shoes. It looks like he is wearing "high-waters".

Gene Sarazen said Hogan's round was the finest round of golf he had seen in his lifetime. Hogan also noted that he couldn't hit it any better (before he gave Sam a little dig: "Im just sorry your ball didn't get a little closer to the hole or we would have had a better match"). Hogan practiced for months in preparation for the match. There was no way he was going to lose to Mr. Snead again, especially on national T.V.

Pure "Machine Feel".

GENE SARAZEN AND SHELL'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF
Al Barkow with Mary Ann Sarazen

"The most fascinating portion of the saga of SHELL'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF can be found in the descriptions of the production of the individual television shows. Contemporary golf fans have become complacent with modern technology and its impact on televised golf. Golf matches even avail themselves of lights to allow for evening matches. In the 1960s television technology was far more primitive. Two days were often required to film one 18-hole match. Players were sometimes forced to wait twenty minutes between shots as cameras, cables and crowds were repositioned for the next shot. On occasion, because an actual shot was not adequately filmed, producers had to include phony shots that were filmed separately from the actual match. To read these chapters is to understand how far televised golf and indeed all televised sports have come"