This "Ben Hogan, His own" putter was owned and personally used by Ben Hogan.

To best understand from whence this Ben Hogan “His Own” putter came, one needs to understand a little about Gene Sheely. Sheely worked for Hogan for approximately 25 years, beginning around the time Hogan started his own company. Sheely was a master craftsman and clubmaker. He became Hogan’s master model maker and worked closely with Hogan and collaborated with Hogan to help develop the Hogan Precision Irons, Apex Irons, Power Thrust Irons, and Medallion irons, among others. You might say Sheely was Ben’s right-hand man.

This putter comes with a letter from Chris Sheely, grandson of Gene Sheely. In his letter, Chris states that the putter was made for and used by Ben Hogan before it became part of his grandfather’s personal collection. The letter states that “Ben Hogan used this putter to adjust the specifications to his liking before manufacturing the final product"

The putter bears multiple strips of lead tape across its back that would have been applied by Hogan himself to achieve the desired weight. Also of great interest is the smooth, thin black rubber grip. This grip is not a normal production putter grip. It is made from firm, smooth rubber. It's possibly an underlisting for a rubber grip, as the end of the grip is open and could accept a grip cap. The fact that the grip is decidedly different, however, speaks to experimentation, and that is what Hogan was doing with this putter according to Sheely’s letter. Hogan was known to have small hands, which could also explain the slender nature of this grip. 

For reference, Hogan used this putter style for much of his career. Chris Sheely's letter will accompany the putter as part of this lot.