Is "The Shark" ... "A" Shark?
Greetings Golfers,
Greg Norman is back in the news. Phil Mickelson isn’t playing in the PGA. He’s only the defending champion. But, his remarks about the proposed Saudi backed Tour didn’t go well. Greg Norman's comments were in the same league. Excusing and/or justifying brutal behavior doesn’t come off very well.
Norman at a press conference “We’ve all made mistakes” … referring to the killing of a journalist and other human rights abuses such as executing 81 people in March.
“Mistakes”? Hmmmm … we’re not talking about forgetting to keep an appointment … we’re talking brutal, planned atrocities.
I planned on writing this blog about “grit” … how grit is overlooked and underappreciated. Here’s what learningscientists.org says are the 5 characteristics of grit:
Courage
Conscientiousness
Perseverance
Resilience
Passion
How cool are those? They’re all qualities that we respect in a person. Especially grouped together.
However, what are a person’s goals? What is grit being used for?
If it’s just for power and money … a lot of us lose respect for that person. Though we respect those qualities … if they’re only self-serving … it ain’t pretty.
Greg Norman is obviously a talented and driven guy. He’s wanted a world golf tour for at least 20 years. But at what price?
Let’s talk about Norman’s golf swing. He was an unbelievably good player … who could have a bunch of majors. The golf gods were not smiling on him.
He was one of the all-time best drivers of the golf ball - he hit it far and straight - amazingly consistent. Why … what was his secret?
Well, he dragged his right-foot through impact. Why is that good? Well, I think that extension through impact is vital to consistently hitting it straight.
Think about this: If the shoulders start the downswing, you can’t extend out at the target. You have to swing “around and down” … try it and see.
This is why some guys can hit irons but not woods off a tee. That over-the-top shoulder move can crash down and hit 7 irons hard off the turf.
However, to extend the club … you need to start the swing with the lower body so that you are in a position to swing out at the target.
Not only did Norman do that really well … he kept that extension going by dragging his right foot through impact. If the right foot turns too soon, the shoulders turn left too soon for an extended impact.
This swing combined with his grit made Greg Norman known as “The Shark”.
But … is he a good guy … or just “a” shark?
Cheers!
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com