Chuck Hogan is coming to town, just in time to save the game of golf. It is a mission that ranks right up there with Santa Claus.

“The game is heading for a disaster,’’ Hogan warned. “It’s going in the tank because so many people aren’t getting what they want out of playing it.

“And time and the costs of playing it really are killing it. I’d like to see golf live, at least in the mom-and-pop places.’’

In that regard, Hogan is offering his revolutionary Break Thru Golf program, which takes place Jan. 28-29 and Feb. 11-12 at Fiesta Inn Resort in Tempe. The day-long sessions are spaced out two weeks apart because Hogan says, “those simple, fundamental thoughts they discover in the first set of classes need to be absorbed.’’

Talk about radical, 32 hours of instruction and you never swing a club or strike a ball.

“It’s dynamic stuff; not a lecture,’’ Hogan said of the 32 hours of class time. “What we want these people to do is, spill their guts out.

“We want them to tell their story -- everybody has one! -- about why they’re not getting what they want out of the game. And what happens is, eventually everyone finds out that they all have a similar theme.’’

As Hogan freely admits, 32 hours of -- I call it Golfers Anonymous -- sounds like a lot. At the same time, it’s a pittance when it comes to how much time and money most people have invested in the game.

“They need to know that they’re going to get what they’re after, and if they don’t get what they’re after, they get their money back,’’ Hogan said of the program that costs $415. “All I can say is, this is an iron-clad program, and you will be thrilled with yourselves for going through it.’’

For those who are not aware of Hogan, he has been a long-time “Top 100’’ instructor who often is confused for being a sports psychologist. From 1995-99, he ran the instruction program at the Raven at South Mountain, but since has been headquartered in Bend, Ore.

He still has strong ties to the East Valley, as one of his close associates, Shalimar general manager John Gunby, remains a devout disciple. It was Gunby’s idea to bring Hogan back.

“I’ve been in the golf business for over 30 years, and Chuck is the best instructor I’ve ever come across,’’ Gunby said. “People say some of his ideas are radical, but then perhaps we need a radical approach if people are to start enjoying the game like they once did.’’

Hogan is all about having fun on the golf course. He is not about taking it too seriously, or over the top.

“What we need if we’re going to accomplish this mission is to get everyone back playing fast-paced, courteous golf,’’ said Hogan who believes strongly in the three-and-a-half-hour round. “Like when you were a kid: Go out, hit the ball, chase it, hit it again, and have fun.’’

Pretty simple, huh? What I like about Hogan as an instructor is, he really does care about his students. Sure, there’s some humor injected into his delivery, but he still takes his job seriously.

My favorite Chuck Hogan story came during those days at the Raven, and because of the dramatic conclusion, I’ll remember it forever.

A woman came in for her first lesson with Hogan, and when he asked her what she was having problems with, she said it was her driver.

“My husband bought me this beautiful new Big Bertha Callaway driver, and I can’t hit it nearly as well as I could my old driver,’’ she told Hogan.

Hogan took one look at her, grabbed the driver from her hands, flung it 50 yards out into the range, and then smiled.

“Well, we’ve gotten rid of that problem,’’ he said nonchalantly.

Recently, Hogan has been endorsing a new device called the “Swing Gizmo,’’ even to the point of doing infomercials on the Golf Channel. Asked how the product is selling, he laughed.

“Who the hell knows?’’ he said. “The thing actually works if you use it, but there are so many of those types of things out there claiming this and that, I don’t think the average golfer even cares.’’

Realisitic, slightly hard-nosed, and very much still a student of the game, Hogan himself is the real deal. When he talks, I listen.

“Break Thru Golf is very, very simple,’’ he said. “I mean, for God’s sake, the ball is just setting there. This isn’t Ping-Pong.

“Sure, it’s a shift in mentally: It’s not about hitting balls, it’s about getting your head right. And it’s not mental, as the head still is a physical part of the body to me.’’

It’s not even radical, he claims.

“Compared to what?’’ he mused. “If you go back 30 years, and compared it to what is happening today in instruction, well, what’s happening today is radical.’’

Considering Chuck Hogan has been teaching the game his way for 36 years and has received every accolade there is, why not give it a shot?