TROON, Scotland – Mark O’Meara was a struggling, frustrated young pro and a Ben Hogan staff player who was looking for some advice to get his career untracked. So in 1982, he traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, to visit Mr. Hogan.
O’Meara, 25 at the time, took his bag with him into the office, which was part of the deal when you got an audience with greatness. Hogan stood up out of his chair, approached O’Meara’s bag and slowly began to examine his clubs. He tugged a headcover off a 5-wood. “What’s this?” Hogan asked incredulously.
O’Meara started to stammer that it was his 5-wood, with the loft of a 4-wood, with high-tech rails on the bottom designed to help get the golf ball up in the air.