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Moe Norman


iacas
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When I was young, conventional wisdom indicated his behaviour was that of an undiagnosed autistic. A very hard life to live even with supportive peers, but I've read articles (citing credible sources) that detailed how he was shunned by his fellow professionals.

Mizuno MP600 driver, Cleveland '09 Launcher 3-wood, Callaway FTiz 18 degree hybrid, Cleveland TA1 3-9, Scratch SS8620 47, 53, 58, Cleveland Classic 2 mid-mallet, Bridgestone B330S, Sun Mountain four5.

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I'd buy the autistic thing. If you watch those youtube videos you can tell he's definitely uncomfortable with the situation of being filmed showing his swing. He seems irritable and like he just wants to get it over with.

I'm sure the life of a touring pro can be very lonely and tough on someone who doesn't have a lot of support and friendship, especially in the older days when you had to drive your way around the country and there wasn't near as much money around as there is these days. Someone like Moe with, at the very least, an odd personality could easily fail to cope with the pressure. If he really was autistic that would only compound the problem.

However, if you've got guys like Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods singing your praises then you've got to be doing something right.
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Allow me to quote Tiger Woods...

“Only two players have ever truly owned their swings Moe Norman and Ben Hogan,”
Driver :Adams Speedline 9032LS 10.5*
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Hybrids:Wilson Staff FYbrid (wood/hybrid gap)
Hybrids:Ben Hogan Edge CFT 3H & 4H
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Allow me to quote Tiger Woods...

that's all good and well, but i know a bunch of old guys at my course who own their swing, and they can shoot par all day. but they're still playing for a couple bucks a hole at a public course near you.

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Hey I'm not trying to convince anybody about anything but I've heard Lee Trevino, Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods and others talk about Moe. He was by no means the greatest golfer of all time but he was the greatest ball striker of all time imo.

Moe was a functioning autistic. There was no doubt he had the ability to play on the tour but as you can imagine, he did not fit in.

Take the time to read about him and you'll read some amazing stories and some heart breaking ones too.
Driver :Adams Speedline 9032LS 10.5*
Woods:Wilson Staff FYbrid 3W
Hybrids:Wilson Staff FYbrid (wood/hybrid gap)
Hybrids:Ben Hogan Edge CFT 3H & 4H
Irons:King Cobra S9 5I-PWSand Wedge:Cleveland CG12-58*Putter:Ping Redwood AnserBall:Nike Karma/Topflite GamerFavourite Gizmo:Club Caddy
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well, i wasn't aware that norman had mental problems, i'd never heard that part of the story. but still, the fact remains is that while his swing may be the most consistent, he never did anything with it on the big stage. perhaps it was his condition, but all things aside, he was never really in contention in any big tournaments.
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Well the question was "what's the big deal with Moe Norman" and the answer has nothing to do with who won the most championships.

Here's a piece that espn did on Moe.

can't get the link to work but just go to youtube and type in moe norman espn
Driver :Adams Speedline 9032LS 10.5*
Woods:Wilson Staff FYbrid 3W
Hybrids:Wilson Staff FYbrid (wood/hybrid gap)
Hybrids:Ben Hogan Edge CFT 3H & 4H
Irons:King Cobra S9 5I-PWSand Wedge:Cleveland CG12-58*Putter:Ping Redwood AnserBall:Nike Karma/Topflite GamerFavourite Gizmo:Club Caddy
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The reason why Moe Norman is so famous is because he hit the ball dead straight without any curvuture. Every single time.

I know someone that played a round of golf with him once. He said when he played with him, Moe hit the flagstick 6 times.

The pros didn't like Moe because he made fun of them. He'd be leading a tournament and then purposely putt the ball in the bunker and and get up and down to win. Occurences like that eventually got him banned from the tour.

He was a phenomenal golfer, he shot 59 a couple times and had dozens of hole in ones.

Golf is a game in which the ball always lies poorly and the player always lies well.

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Well the question was "what's the big deal with Moe Norman" and the answer has nothing to do with who won the most championships.

Here's the video:

The sad thing is that if he'd come along 50 years later he'd probably have done just fine on the PGA Tour, especially when you consider how well other "characters" that break the traditional mold like Boo Weekley do.
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Eccentric, frank people like this are always the greatest. They can often really bother other people but in the end they did it their way and often become the stuff of legend. 2 of the greatest golfers of all time admire him for a shot that was incredible.

He did what he wanted and said what he wanted. If you didn't like it you just weren't in on the joke he was playing until he died.

The Moe Norman's of the world are just laughing at the rest of us simple minded fools.
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that's all good and well, but i know a bunch of old guys at my course who own their swing, and they can shoot par all day. but they're still playing for a couple bucks a hole at a public course near you.

Are you trying to be obtuse? Holy cripes man - they don't "own their swing." They might be consistent, but "own their swing"? Get real.

Moe may have been the greatest golfer never to play the PGA Tour with any regularity, and here you are bashing the guy.

Source: moenorman.com In a 2004 USA Today Q&A; interview, VJ Singh was asked this question: Who's the best golfer you've ever seen?" Singh's answer: "Moe Norman. I've hit balls with him lots of times. He was incredible. Whatever he said he could do, he could do. If you talk to Lee Trevino and the other greats of the game, they'll tell you how good he was. He could talk it, and he could do it. God gives people little gifts, and Moe had a gift for golf."

Get real dude. Who are you to bash someone else? We're still using things Moe did in modern teaching. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Norman

"The expert golfer has maximum time to make minimal compensations. The poorer player has minimal time to make maximum compensations." - And no, I'm not Mac. Please do not PM me about it. I just think he is a crazy MFer and we could all use a little more crazy sometimes.

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

that's all good and well, but i know a bunch of old guys at my course who own their swing, and they can shoot par all day. but they're still playing for a couple bucks a hole at a public course near you.

Senor you should let this one go. Who are any of us to question a guy like Moe.

Driver.... Nickent DX Evolver V2 65 stiff /07 Burner YS6+ stiff .
4 wood..... Nickent 4DX
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This is the best line onthe Wiki page.

It is even said that on one hole his caddy told him he could get to the green with a driver and a nine iron. Naturally, he hit off the tee with his nine iron and then onto the green with his driver.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

In my bag:

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The guy could play regardless of his lack of distance. He still hit it 240 or so with driver which was good enough to get him 17 course records, shoot 59 three times and 61 four times.

It's been said that at a clinic he hit over 1,500 drivers in about seven hours and all of them landed within 15 feet of each other.

"Just take this dumb guy [club] and hit that dumb guy [ball] into that dumb guy [fairway]"
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Allow me to quote Tiger Woods...

I always took that quote as he wants to own his swing in the same way that Moe owned his. That meaning he could do what ever he wanted with it any time. I think if you asked Tiger if he wanted to swing just like Moe, he'd certainly say no. I not sure how well Moe's swing would translate to the modern PGA courses either. It would be interesting to see. Personally, I think Moe certainly has his place in golf history. He's the poster board for thinking outside the box as far as swing mechanics.

Kevin

-------
In the Bag
Driver: G15 9.0*3 & 5 Wood: BurnerHybrid: Pro Gold 20*; 23*Irons: MP-58 (5-PW)Wedges: Vokey Spin Milled 52*8; 56*14Putter: Newport 2.0 33"Balls: NXT

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I don't remember where I saw/read this story but it goes like this...

Moe was known to not concentrate on his putting. He'd just walk up to his ball and hit it without reading the green or anything. The press was watching him this one time and they were giving him grief over it. Moe got upset, tee'd up his ball, hit it, and... while the ball was still in the air turned to those people and exclaimed "I won't be putting today" and sure enough... hole in one.

Moe's a legend to be sure. Probably some myth worked into the truth. I do know he carried a wooden tee in his pocket and used that same tee for over 10 years and also once exclaimed "I haven't hit a ball out of bounds in 11 years".
Driver :Adams Speedline 9032LS 10.5*
Woods:Wilson Staff FYbrid 3W
Hybrids:Wilson Staff FYbrid (wood/hybrid gap)
Hybrids:Ben Hogan Edge CFT 3H & 4H
Irons:King Cobra S9 5I-PWSand Wedge:Cleveland CG12-58*Putter:Ping Redwood AnserBall:Nike Karma/Topflite GamerFavourite Gizmo:Club Caddy
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The guy could play regardless of his lack of distance. He still hit it 240 or so with driver which was good enough to get him 17 course records, shoot 59 three times and 61 four times.

He wasn't that short. Maybe in his late years he was shorter but if I remember right he was in the 280 range with his driver on average.

Driver :Adams Speedline 9032LS 10.5*
Woods:Wilson Staff FYbrid 3W
Hybrids:Wilson Staff FYbrid (wood/hybrid gap)
Hybrids:Ben Hogan Edge CFT 3H & 4H
Irons:King Cobra S9 5I-PWSand Wedge:Cleveland CG12-58*Putter:Ping Redwood AnserBall:Nike Karma/Topflite GamerFavourite Gizmo:Club Caddy
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Note: This thread is 3276 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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