Golf In New York City Blog

No golfer has come close to Ben Hogan’s remarkable achievement of winning nine of the 16 majors he competed in from the 1946 PGA through the 1953 British Open. He won four U.S. Opens, two Masters, two PGAs and one British Open. He won PGA Player of the Year honors four times and is one of only four golfers (Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player are the others) to win all four major titles in his career.

In 1949, Ben Hogan’s car was smashed when a bus, swinging out to pass a truck, hit Ben Hogan’s car head on. The impact drove the engine into the driver’s seat, the steering wheel into the back seat. Ben slid from the drivers seat to the passenger side in an effort to shield his wife Valerie from the impact. Ben Hogan’s heroism saved his wife from serious injury and probably saved his life also. Valerie Hogan received only minor injuries, Ben suffered a broken collarbone, smashed ribs, a double fracture of the pelvis and a broken ankle.

After his bones were set Ben developed a blood clot, and doctors performed an abdominal operation and tied off the principal veins in his legs, preventing the clot from reaching his heart.

Many thought Hogan would never play golf again. But few had his determination and strength of character. “People have always been telling me what I can’t do,” he said. “I guess I have wanted to show them. That’s been one of my driving forces all my life.”

Sixteen months after the near-fatal accident, Hogan won the U.S. Open at Merion in Pennsylvania. His remarkable 1-iron shot on the difficult final hole forced a playoff, which he captured the next day by shooting a brilliant 69 to beat Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio. The Hawk, who had been the best golfer in the world when the accident occurred, had regained his throne.

From the time of his discharge from the Army in August 1945, just after his 33rd birthday, until the car crash, Hogan won an amazing 37 tournaments and twice was leading money-winner for the year. A controlled left-to-right ball flight and sound course management were the main reasons for his success. After the accident, Hogan didn’t play more than seven tournaments a year because his legs couldn’t take the stress. Yet he won 13 more tournaments. Hogan retired with 63 tournament victories, third all-time to Sam Snead’s 81 and Jack Nicklaus’ 70. Only Nicklaus with 18 and Walter Hagen with 11 have won more professional majors.

After his professional career declined, he concentrated on managing his successful golf equipment company, the Ben Hogan Company, which he started in the mid-1950s. With Herbert Warren Wind, he co-authored perhaps the most quoted golf book of instruction: Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.
Hogan, who was diagnosed with colon cancer surgery in 1995 and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, died at age 84 on July 25, 1997 in his home in Fort Worth.

Marine Park Golf Course has always won praise for its country club greens. These days visitors to the Robert Trent Jones gem at the end of Flatbush Avenue are playing their rounds in country club type times – completing 18 holes in under 4 ½ hours!

During two recent weekday rounds (one in mid-morning the other in early afternoon) our foursome completed each of our rounds in just over 4 hours. “Let’s face it, nobody wants to be on a golf course for 6 hours,” says Dominick Logozzo of East Coast Golf operators of Marine Park.

Part of the improvement to longer headways between foursomes. While most public courses try to push groups out as fast as possible, (in some places as little as 7 minutes apart) the headways are 10 minutes at Marine Park.

Along with the 10 minute headways tee time reservation times honored. If you have a 9:30 tee-time (barring frost and other weather delays) Logozzo promises to get you out there for at your reserved time. “Our reservation system doesn’t allow for a 9 o’clock and a 9 o’clock a, 9 o’clock b, and 9 o’clock. And we don’t squeeze people in between groups,” he says.

Other improvements to the golf course itself are also helping to speed up play and making for a more enjoyable round.

Since taking over operations at Marine Park last year East Coast Golf, with the approval of the Parks Dept., cut down more than 200 trees and removed much of the overgrown vegetation. Golf is played so much faster when you can find those wayward golf balls. A Border collie and series of wooden silhouetted wolves have thus far successfully reduced the geese population and the mess they leave behind.

And then there are those greens. For all their reputation and good looks the greens at Marine Park were sickly under the surface.

“Actually the greens were very weak and there was a great deal of thatch. (Course Superintendent) Ryan (Volger) has done a great job,” says Logozzo. “Along with a lot of repair and restoration, we aerated them four times last year. It was tough. They’re still not where we want them but they’re coming around and are much healthier. They’re rolling well, and they’re rolling faster,” says Logozzo.

In addition, the clubhouse has been remodeled with new larger bathrooms; and both the pro shop and snack bar have been expanded. The practice green has been moved to the area between the clubhouse and the 18^th green; and a pitching green has been installed between the clubhouse and the 10^th tee. An “irons only” practice range is also under construction and Logozzo hopes to have it in operation by mid-summer.

East Coast Golf has also brought in the golf course design team of Steven Kay (The Architects Golf Club The Links at Unionvale ) and Douglas Smith to make other more substantial improvements. “They are going to redesign all the par 3’s which right now can all be hit with the same club and swing,” says Logozzo.

New bunkers and tee boxes as well as championship tees will be introduced lengthening what is already the longest golf course in the city to 7,200 yards.

“The response to what we’ve done has been nothing but positive. There’s a sense of excitement to see the changes taking place. Everyone who comes out tells us they’re totally in love with it,” says Logozzo.

“We are only in the middle of a three year plan. When its fully executed and we take in the design changes, the distance, the wind all on a course designed by perhaps the greatest designer of a generation Robert Trent Jones, this is going to be the best golf course in the city.”

And no one can doubt his commitment.

Not long after East Coast Golf signed a 20 year contract to operate Marine Park an audit by City Controller Bill Thompson discovered Logozzo’s father had loaned money to an alleged member of the Colombo crime family, and the city terminated the contract.

In March, Logozzo and East Coast Golf who claim they have been falsely accused have filed suit against the city to hold on to the golf course. Because of the litigation Logozzo cannot comment on the case or certain other aspects concerning the current and future operation of the course.

He has however collected signatures from hundreds of golfers on a petition urging the city to allow East Coast Golf to remain.