Ben Hogan
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About Mr. Hogan

Ben Hogan's tournament-winning career stretched 21 years from 1938 to 1959, when at age of 47, he won the Colonial Invitational. Also included in his list of achievements is the award for the Professional Male Athlete of the Year, which he won in 1953, four years after his near-fatal car accident. The early part of his career displayed several indications of the dominance he would later show over the golfing world. For several seasons, he struggled both financially and on the golf course, and in fact, at one stage he contemplated giving up the game altogether. Fortunately, in what he decided would be his make-or-break tournament, the 1937 Oakland Open, during which thieves had stolen the wheels from his car, he shot a final-round 69 to clinch second place, and one of the greatest careers in the game was launched.
Company Information
1953 Ben Hogan wins three of the four modern majors in one year.Ben Hogan forms the Ben Hogan Company with funding from Marvin Leonard and Pollard Simon.

1954 Mr. Hogan's company releases its first club, the "Precision", after withholding initial sets for quality reasons.

1960 Ben Hogan sells his company to American Machine and Foundry (AMF).Mr. Hogan remains Chairman.

1964 Ben Hogan brings a new concept to driver design with the introduction of the more aerodynamically efficient "Speed Slot".

1968 Mr. Hogan and veteran club designer Gene Sheely team up to build the first constant weight taper-tip steel shaft, the ApexTM. Softer in the long irons, firmer in the short irons, it is believed to be the most consistent shaft in golf.

1972 The Ben Hogan Company introduces the first Apex iron. It is played widely in the professional ranks and gains immediate acceptance on the PGA Tour.

1980 Ben Hogan golf balls are #1 on the PGA Tour, earning more money and winning more money than any other ball.

1984 Minnesota investor Irwin Jacobs buys AMF and sells the rest of its assets, but keeps control of the Ben Hogan Company.

1989 The most successful iron in Ben Hogan history, the Edge, is introduced. For the first time, the feel of forged and the benefits of perimeter-weighting are combined.

1988 AMF (Mr. Jacobs) sells the Ben Hogan Company to Japanese investment firm Cosmo World.

1992 Cosmo World sells the Ben Hogan Company to investor Bill Goodwin. Later, Mr. Goodwin announces the relocation of the Ben Hogan Company to Richmond, VA. The original Ben Hogan factory and warehouse in Fort Worth is closed.


1997 Bill Goodwin sells the Ben Hogan Company to Spalding Sports Worldwide.
Justin Leonard wins his first major, the 1997 British Open at Royal Troon, using Ben Hogan Apex irons.

1998 Spalding moves the Ben Hogan clubmaking operation back to Fort Worth and introduces the new Apex iron, designed with input from PGA Tour players Justin Leonard and Hal Sutton.

1999 The new Ben Hogan Apex Plus! irons are introduced. Like the original Edge, the Apex Plus provides perimeter-weighted forgiveness and forged feel.

Apex Irons
It was Mr. Hogan's gift. His ability to grasp the mechanics of the game and translate them into simple, handsome and efficient clubs. During the past 47 years, this gift has been the inspiration for the Ben Hogan Company's most memorable Apex models. The Ben Hogan Apex Iron continues that legacy. Based on input from Pro Tour players like Justin Leonard and Hal Sutton, the 1998 Apex Iron combines some of the best features of the '88 and '94 Apex models. The result is the feel and performance you would expect from a forged blade, incorporated into the most playable blade design available today.

Features and Benefits

-Forged 1030 Carbon Steel for excellent feel and
feedback
-Moderate toe relief and muscleback design for
solid feel and easy control
-Progressive offset for optimum trajectory control
throughout the set
-Top-line relief, rolled leading edge and
traditional shaping for improved alignment
-Fort Worth craftsmanship and uncompromised
commitment to quality

The Ben Hogan Fort Worth Manufacturing Process
Producing the best possible product for our customers is our responsibility. The result is our teamwork. Teamwork has made the Ben Hogan irons the highest quality and best-performing irons on the market today.

Our clubs are manufactured in sets, rather than individually, to ensure consistency. This process takes longer and is more expensive, but golfers who strive for perfection in every shot appreciate the craftsmanship of Ben Hogan irons.

Here's our process: Receiving:
All of the components are received and checked into inventory. Each component goes through a number of tests including cosmetic appearance. All of our shafts are purchased in complete sets which are frequency matched and weight sorted. We also check every individual shaft for the correct length, step pattern, and outer diameters of the tip and butt. The heads are inspected for top line thickness, loft and lie, stamps, and weight. Grips are checked for weight, taper and appearance.
Shaft banding:
The shaft bands are applied on each shaft according to flex; the 3 and 4 flex shaft bands are placed on the sixth step up from the tip while 5 flex shaft bands are installed on the seventh step. After a band has been applied to each shaft, the set begins its progression through the manufacturing process using an innovative ‘monorail’ system.
Cutting shafts / Installation of ferrules:
A proprietary ‘grid’ enables us to cut our frequency matched, weight-sorted shafts one set at a time. Most golf club manufacturers cut shafts in lots (i.e. #5 irons lots, #9 iron lots, an so on). After the shafts are cut, we add ferrules to the set. The shaft tips are abraded and the ferrules are installed exactly 1.25” from the tip. Epoxy is applied to ensure the ferrule stays in place.
Grip installation:
Grips are immersed in solvent, then aligned in each club with a laser. By lining the laser beam between the letters ‘P’ and ‘E’ on the Apex shaft band, perfect installation of the grip is ensured.
Match Pointing:
Once the grips are installed, we ‘match point’ the clubheads. Most manufacturers assemble the heads then apply the grips … at Ben Hogan we sort our clubheads right down to single gram increments. This allows us to match point each set exactly, without adding any weight. For example, if a custom order requires a half inch longer Apex steel shaft, we could use heads with slightly lighter gram weights to attain desired swing weight.
Assembly
After clubheads have been match pointed with shafts, the shaft (with grip and ferrule installed) and heads are joined with epoxy. Once assembled, each club in the set checked again to ensure it maintains a desired swingweight tolerance. The set is then moved to a drying room until the epoxy sets and hardens.
Springing shafts
Once the set is dry, our production team brings out the gauges yet again to double check that each club in the set meets predetermined loft, lie and swingweight measurements. We employ a technique known as ‘springing shafts’ to ensure that the outer diameter of the club’s hosel aligns perfectly with the outer diameter of its shaft. This process ensures correct loft and lie progression for each club in the set.
Ferrule blending
The ferrules on every club are then blended by hand. This process creates a smooth transition between the ferrule and the hosel. Mr. Hogan insisted that a smooth ferrule taper helped give his irons their great eye appeal. We take our time with each club to ensure it looks as good as possible.
Clean and Pack
Once a set is complete, it receives a registration label and its destination is recorded in our customer log. Set configuration and club measurements are recorded on a final inspection certificate by one of our craftsmen. Every fingerprint and piece of factory floor debris is carefully removed before the clubhead is covered with bubblewrap. Finally, the set is placed in a display box and is made ready for shipping.

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