Hello again from Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Please enjoy this post by Dan Defreest:
Mighty Moe – Few people have heard the name of Moe Norman, but those who study the golf swing know it well. He is thought of by many, including the like of Tiger Woods, as perhaps the finest shot maker in the history of golf.
Murray Irwin Norman, better known as Moe Norman was born July 10, 1929 in Ontario Canada. Like most golfers of his generation, Norman learned the game as a caddy on a municipal course. Moe won back-to-back Canadian Amateur Championships in 1955 and 1956 and decided to try his luck on the PGA tour.
Norman was an unusual looking man, short and stocky; he had bad teeth and dressed in shabby clothes. He was painfully shy and by some accounts possibly slightly autistic, his reclusive demeanor and obsessive personality, along what some would call his “antics”, didn’t go well with the buttoned-down American tour.
He was occasionally known for using Coke bottles for tees and on one hole his caddy told him on the tee that it would take a 9 iron and driver to get on, so that’s what Moe hit, the 9 iron off the tee, and then hit the driver off the fairway onto the green. Another time he drove a par 4 by hitting his drive onto a bridge crossing a water hazard guarding the front of the green and bouncing the ball onto the green.
After being lectured by PGA officials about his appearance and behavior, Norman retreated to Canada where he dominated the Canadian tour, winning more than 50 tournaments and scored 17 holes in one. Norman has shot 59 three times in his career and has 7 sub-60 rounds in exhibitions.
His unorthodox self-taught swing produced laser like shots that went perfectly straight, even the great Hogan claimed that no one could hit a ball perfectly straight. Needless to say, in golf circles, Norman is considered a legend. Moe Norman died at the age of 75 in 2004, leaving behind a legacy of golf perfection by an imperfect man. By Dan Defreest
To learn more about the game and shot-making theories, see our teaching professionals at Classic Swing Golf School.
