Equipment

A visit to Ben Hogan Golf

Published

7 years ago

Mar 1, 2019

The Ben Hogan Golf headquarters are in a relaxed old warehouse about 10 minutes south of downtown Fort Worth. The parking lot sits adjacent to an open field of unkempt grass, and the Ben Hogan logo hangs proudly above the door, unseen by most.

All of that is by design.

The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company originally started in 1953, but in September of 2017, it was reborn. This time with a completely different business model and an eye for saving customers money. That means lower overhead and cutting out the retail middle man.

“Our product is better than most and it’s less expensive than most. That’s because of our direct to consumer business model,” says Scott White, Ben Hogan Golf’s President and CEO.

Customers who want to play Ben Hogan irons, hybrids, or wedges can simply create a custom set online at benhogangolf.com. No need to pay markup costs buying at your local pro shop or golf mega store. The direct-to-consumer model keeps costs down and allows the player to have a custom set of forged irons for much less of the cost of a comparable set. And the clubs are built just for you. Just send in your specs and the clubs are out the door and headed your way in five to 10 business days.

Steve Dreyer, Director of Manufacturing, started with the company in 1985. He knew Mr. Hogan personally and has been a part of the company’s many evolutions. “I’ve seen many transitions. No doubt we are back to what Mr. Hogan wanted,” Dreyer says. “What Mr. Hogan stood for — he stood for a fine quality, built right, forged iron, built one set at a time.”

And if you want to give these clubs a try before pulling the trigger, that’s no problem. The company offers a 14-day, two-club demo program to help you feel comfortable with your purchase. That is also all organized online through the website. Customers can select the clubs they are interested in, pay twenty dollars for shipping, and they’ll soon get two irons in the mail.

Currently, Ben Hogan Golf offers three different custom built iron sets ranging from $575 to $770 per set, as well as utility irons, wedges and hybrids. The website also offers a wide array of bags, hats, and accessories, all sporting the legendary Hogan signature logo.

The new business model is working. Clubs are flying out of the factory and being shipped all over the world. As a response to overseas demand, the demo club program is setting up a new location in the United Kingdom so European players will be able to try these clubs out before purchasing as well. It seems consumers are falling in love with Ben Hogan irons again.

That wasn’t always the case. Before this resurgence, the company was floundering in and out of bankruptcy. “We were using the same playbook as every other original equipment manufacturer,” White said. “We were in retail. We had a sales force. It was an expensive proposition and we just found that we can’t keep doing it this way.”

In 2017, the company decided they needed a different strategic plan, so they began working towards a transition of sorts. All options were on the table, including permanent closure of the company. But while that was happening, revenue was still needed to keep the doors open and the lights on.

“So we went to our database and contacted everyone who had purchased Ben Hogan products in the previous two years,” White said. “We told them we were going through a reorganization and are pulling out of retail. But you are loyal to us so if you want to buy our equipment directly, we will sell it to you at basically wholesale pricing.”

The response was overwhelming. The company couldn’t keep up. There was no website or organizational process in place yet. Just customers who wanted Ben Hogan clubs at lower prices, calling on the phone. So White, Dreyer, and Tyler Brewton, Director of Brand and Product Marketing, decided there must be something to this factory direct thing. “We have a premium product and no one else in the golf industry is doing what we are doing from the equipment side,” Brewton said. “We are making premium golf equipment and we sell it with no retail markups.”

“It’s the great Ben Hogan product you know and love. Now there is no middleman,” explained White. “There’s no markup. You buy it at roughly half the cost of comparable product at retail. We have only been at it for 18 months but it has really resonated.”

Perhaps the most important piece to the equation, however, is the ever-present aura of Mr. Hogan. Walking around the no frills factory warehouse, it is impossible to not feel his presence. His signature is on every piece of equipment and photos of his famous swing hang on the walls. Even one of his old wooden office chairs sits in the corner of the break room.

“We are very conscious of the fact that it is his name on the bag. His name on the clubs. We walk around here and see his signature and his photos every day and think we need to keep making this guy proud,” White said.

And the dedication to excellence that Mr. Hogan was famous for is still going strong in Texas. “Mr. Hogan was a businessman,” said Dreyer. “And the product leaving this building is nothing but the best. Because that is what Mr. Hogan expected. It had to be the best.”

Where the company will go from here remains to be seen. “Right now we are forged irons and wedges,” said White. “We are always going to be a niche brand that appeals first and foremost to the more accomplished players. That is kind of what the Ben Hogan brand is known for. But we are going to get into other product categories which will fuel growth.”

The future looks bright in Fort Worth.

Mr. Hogan would be proud.

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Johnny Newbern

Johnny Newbern writes for GolfWRX from Fort Worth, Texas. His loving wife lets him play more golf than is reasonable and his three-year-old son is a tremendous cart partner. He is a Scotty Cameron loyalist and a lover of links-style courses. He believes Coore/Crenshaw can do no wrong, Gil Hanse is the king of renovations, and hole-in-ones are earned, not given. Johnny holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University.

19 Comments

Ray F

May 10, 2019 at 6:44 pm

Just received my PTx Pro irons and I’m testing the wedges through the trial program. Selected my shaft through extensive trials with similar irons and so far numbers look solid on launch monitor.
Ordering was a breeze and all of my questions were answered.
Hopefully I’ll be able to do a trial on the new woods coming out.
Very happy

Reply Report comment
234234

Mar 2, 2019 at 12:25 am

One thing I liked about Hogans irons is they stamp the #of the iron, instead they stamp the loft on the sole. Makes so much sense. Nowadays every manufactures are pulling lofts from long and short irons and make #7 stronger. The result is 3′ gaps in long irons, and 5′ or more gaps in short irons. I don’t care about #7 being 30′ or 28′, I just don’t like the gaps getting double between long and short irons.

Reply Report comment
- 234234
  
  Mar 2, 2019 at 12:26 am
  
  is they don’t(*) stamp the #of the iron
  
  Reply Report comment
Billy

Mar 1, 2019 at 8:10 pm

Give it a year at most, the company will file for bankruptcy.

Reply Report comment
- Vickie
  
  Mar 2, 2019 at 1:11 pm
  
  That’s ugly !!!! Steve I wish y’all the best of luck. Mr. Hogan would be proud.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Bob
  
  Mar 2, 2019 at 2:12 pm
  
  Wrong already, it’s been 2 years and no bankruptcy in sight.
  
  Reply Report comment
Brad

Mar 1, 2019 at 4:47 pm

The product looks good, but customer service at Hogan Golf is the big problem. The ones I have spoken to are not exactly friendly or helpful. Either they are just not very nice people, or there must be a lot of stress inside that company keeping everyone on edge.

Reply Report comment
Ben Hogan

Mar 1, 2019 at 2:25 pm

Had a very very negative experience with the customer relations department. Turned me off of the new Hogans immediately. That’s the last time I will entertain of using Hogan equipment. The Apex Edge Pro’s were one of my favorite irons years ago

Reply Report comment
Steve Buchanan

Mar 1, 2019 at 1:36 pm

Wrong. Great clubs and beautiful as well. Performance and feel are exceptional. I love my new set and Ric Shiels, who tests everything on the market loves them as well. I hate the negative comments from people who have no clue.

Reply Report comment
DL

Mar 1, 2019 at 1:29 pm

I like what they have done with the company. I have the Ptx and Edge iron sets. The quality and performance has been excellent and they are reasonably priced. Only concern is fitting. Less informed consumers could use some help in ordering a set that is built for their particular golf swing.

Reply Report comment
Thomas Hertwig

Mar 1, 2019 at 1:17 pm

all in all just an assembly warehouse for heads made in China…..most steel shafts are not available so it’s really no big deal….clubs flying out the warehouse, I don’t think so just look at the building…

Reply Report comment
Matt

Mar 1, 2019 at 1:14 pm

Would be nice if they offered just the heads so consumers can put the shafts they want in them.

Reply Report comment
Fitz

Mar 1, 2019 at 1:14 pm

Without Terry Koehler Hogan has the same cache as the Spalding, Black Knight, Walter Hagen for me.

Reply Report comment
A Vendor

Mar 1, 2019 at 12:56 pm

Give me a break. These are the guys who jumped head first into debt, had to declare bankruptcy, and continue to use assets they didn’t pay for. I’m sure Mr Hogan would be proud.

Reply Report comment
bonifacj

Mar 1, 2019 at 12:01 pm

Continued success to Ben Hogan Golf. Product offerings look great.

Reply Report comment
gh

Mar 1, 2019 at 11:45 am

Sadly, Mr. Hogan would not be proud of what has happened to his golf club business. Ben Hogan Golf will never be more than a failed vision of what used to be.

Reply Report comment
- Douglas J Hansen, PGA
  
  Mar 1, 2019 at 2:37 pm
  
  I believe Mr. Hogan would be very upset at eliminating the PGA Professional from promoting and fitting clubs that bear his name. When I met Mr. Hogan in 1989 at the gathering of Hogan Staff professionals, Mr. Hogan described himself as a “golf professional” – not a “professional golfer” – which I took as quite the compliment. A PGA Member right up to his passing, Mr. Hogan knew the importance of what it is we do.
  
  Even though I’m with PING, I bleed Hogan red, white & blue – always have – always will.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - The dude
    
    Mar 3, 2019 at 3:31 am
    
    Cringeworthy post
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Douglas J Hansen, PGA
      
      Mar 8, 2019 at 4:35 pm
      
      What has happen to the Ben Hogan brand IS “cringeworthy”, Dude.
      
      Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

21 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.

Joel Thelen

Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.

First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.

Mitchell Meissner

Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.

Whats in the Bag

Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)

Published

21 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX

Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

See more in-hand photos of Bud Cauley’s clubs here.

Equipment

Name every set of irons you’ve owned – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

21 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.

@Lamosteve began:

Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine

Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”

Entire Thread: “Name every set of irons you’ve owned.”