One of the undisputed all-time greats, Australian legend Greg Norman – aka the Great White Shark – was known for his bold, aggressive style of play.
Sometimes criticised for too often being a runner-up, Greg Norman was, in fact, one of the most consistent golfers of all time, a point driven home by the fact that he finished 2nd only to Tiger Woods in Golf Digest’s Best Golfers of All Time.
Yes, second again. But Tiger Woods is superhuman and finishing a notch behind him just shows how good the Great White Shark actually was.
From his monster drive to his phenomenal consistency, Greg Norman had so much in his locker. So, what was the secret to his success?
Let’s take a look at some pearls of golfing wisdom, straight from the shark’s mouth.
Get a grip
Greg’s game was underpinned by his famous consistency. The foundation of this consistency was a stable grip.
According to Greg, a sound grip starts with parallel palms. Taking your stance without a club and letting your arms hang naturally will result in your palms coming together in a parallel position.
One good test to find out if your grip pressure is enough is the ‘short thumb’ technique. With your usual grip on the club, slide your left thumb upwards by a centimetre or two. You’ll notice your last two fingers on your left hand tighten. This is where the strong grip pressure starts, for the rest of your fingers to follow.
Greg was renowned for hovering the club over the ball as he took his stance. Inspired by Jack Nicklaus, it’s another technique he uses to maintain a strong, consistent grip.
Positioning
According to Greg, the major cause of bad shots is poor ball positioning. Let the ball slip too far back in your stance and you’ll hit it slightly more from the inside, causing it to launch to the right. Push it too far forward in your stance and you’ll hit too much from the outside, taking your shots too far to the left.
So, take note of the position from which you hit your sweetest shots. It’s different for everyone. But get to know yours and you’ll be on track to a lower round.
More than taking note, Greg says to take a mental picture of your best ball position. Get to know where your hands and feet are in relation to the ball. Then stick to this setup every time.
Get a pre-shot routine
This seems like a no-brainer, but plenty of amateur golfers forget to make their own mental checklist prior to the big swing. For Greg it’s an absolute must.
Making a mental countdown, from grip, feet placement, ball positioning and every element of the swing, helps to stay focused on the shot.
The short game
While many pros advocate all kinds of changes when going from a long to a short game, for Greg, simplicity is key.
Take the pitch and chip shots as small golf swings. Change your stance, keep your consistent swing and the club will do the rest.
An interesting strategy that gave Greg an intricate understanding of the short game was to spend entire days tossing golf balls from around the green. With each ball, he’d study the trajectory and the bounce, seeing exactly how they reacted after hitting the green.
Throw them high and throw them flat. Throw them fast and throw them slow. Throw them downhill and throw them uphill. Eventually, you’ll develop a subtler short game and a finer touch around the green.
“Happiness is a long walk with a putter.”
Greg’s putting game was outstanding. His putting philosophy – much like that of his all-round game – was based on a sound grip.
While most pros loosen their grip after their practice stroke, Greg kept his grip pressure consistent throughout.
Instead of just a wave of the club, he took the practice stroke as a serious dress rehearsal, with the same swing length and force, as well as an identical grip pressure. That way your ideal swing is still in your head and in your hands, ready to sink the ball.
The long game
Woods
The Great White Shark is considered to be one of the finest drivers of a golf ball. So, what was behind his famous monster drive?
First of all, good rhythm. Greg would make sure his arms and shoulders moved as one, with the whole movement controlled by pushing back with the left elbow. Focusing on a strong stable left elbow is the key to a good rhythm.
Next, swing big but avoid the three big long game mistakes at the top of your swing.
- Don’t loosen your grip
- Don’t overbend your left elbow
- Don’t raise up on your toe
Focus on making a big turn of the hips and shoulders. At the top of your swing, you should have rotated to the point where your back is facing the target – try some flexibility exercises if you need to. According to Greg, this is the key to swinging big with rhythm and control.
If you have trouble with the follow through, use the ‘second ball’ technique. This is where you imagine a second ball around 50 centimetres from the real one. That way, as you try and hit that second ball, you’ll automatically focus on making sure your arms and club extend through the shot.
A good tip for the long game is to have a ‘trigger.’ This is a word or phrase that you can associate with being ready to lock and load.
Finally, a great tip for amateur players is to drop the driver in favour of a 2-wood. Greg says the shorter shaft will bring better accuracy and you’ll be able to hit shots with more elevation and less sidespin, without compromising on distance.
Irons
As the distances get shorter, some players have a tendency to use a shorter, softer swing. Not Greg. The key to his game was simplicity and consistency. He made the same swing for every club, bringing it back to a parallel position every time.
Ever wondered how to hit a big iron shot? Don’t force it. Imagine you’re swinging a 7-iron and swing with confidence. If you don’t force it, the ball will go far.
The inner game
As we’ve covered previously, the psychology of golf is a huge element to being successful. Technique aside, Greg’s mental strength and inner confidence was the reason he made the record books.
Like all the best golfers, Greg was big on visualisaion. He’d be able to visualise every single shot, running a ‘movie’ in his mind of the flight path, the trajectory, the bounce and the roll. He’d be able to make shot choices based on his ‘reviews’ of each short movie he played prior to approaching the ball.
“Aptitude starts with attitude.”
Greg was known for his fearlessness on the course. For him, his belief in his abilities was a part of his success.
So, know your strengths. Then play to them. Work on your weaknesses on the practice green and have an aggressive confidence in your own competence. Your game will improve from both ends.
Greg’s biggest piece of inner game advice? Keep some perspective. If you’re a casual player, the reality is you’ll most likely make more bad shots than good ones.
Don’t stress it. The most you learn to keep your composure, the better your game will be and the more you’ll enjoy it.
As Greg says: “Victory is sweet, but how you handle yourself in defeat is often more telling.”