Moe Norman

[JimmyW]

Just wonderin'... Does anyone have any info or names of books in the area of Moe Norman's swing?

JW

[schmed00]

The only thing I know of is The Natural Golf package. It is supposed to be the way Moe swings. It seems like a really good thing, but is very different from the conventional swing.

[spidey]

www.naturalgolf.com

[Gangrel]

You should also look at

http://www.megspace.com/sports/moetown/

It has a forum on it, along with some videos etc. and links that might get you going.

I took lessons over the winter through the Ottawa school board from Gerald Manale who taught basically the NG technique. The thoery I think is sound, but my application of it needs work...

[JimmyW]

The only reason I was asking was that, while on holiday at Niagara on the Lake, I saw "Life & Times of Moe Norman" on CBC last weekend. I then proceeded to strengthen (curl under) my left hand and widen my stance when I went golfing this Saturday. Results?
1. Never missed a fairway until the 5th hole.
2. Shot four better than my best this year.

Now I know that there's more to it than that, and my stance looked unconventional as hell, but if keep like this I'll be in the 80's soon.

JW

[gbower]

I switched over two months ago today and won't go back. I was frustrated and needed to try something and after just being shown the grip, which is very different, and going out and trying it on a bucket of balls I not disappointed at all. I've lowered my index by two full points and have shot more games in the 70's than ever before in a full year. Sure I still have bad shots but they're not anywhere near as bad as they used to be and I'm hitting more fairways and greens. It's now fun not being afraid to try for some difficult pins. I have lots to work on over the winter indoors and hopefully we'll drop a couple more strokes for next year. The biggest reason I could not go back, other than the more consistent scoring, is that my back no longer bothers me on the course. Not having as much spine twisting has made a huge difference with me.

[el tigre]

Here is a link to an explanation/discussion about Natural Golf on the "old" Ottawa Golf forum that was posted by Natgolfer. He goes into quite a bit of detail about it:

http://pub44.ezboard.com/fottawagolf...opicID=3.topic

I believe Steve Hall (the instructor mentioned in the post) is now at Raceview/Falcon Ridge.

[Gangrel]

I just started playing last summer, and tried to teach myself how to play. Bad idea. I then took lessons, and only by chance got Gerald Manale as the instructor since the other classes were full. So then I became a natural golfer (or single axis, palm hammer grip as he puts it) Not being afraid to try something different, I stuck with it because the theory seemed sound.

This is my first full summer using it, and i found it works quite well. However, I have some problems not related to NG that seem to give me fits, namely an outside in swingpath. I get mostly slices of the tees and with my long irons, and I pull the ball to the left with the short irons. I think once I get a proper inside out swing that I will be a *lot* better off....

Anyway, after that long preamble, I was just wondering if any Nat Golfer around here has gotten the thicker grips and longer clubs that the system recommends. My set is just a standard set of Wilson's from Chucky Brown's without any mods. Do the grips etc really make that big a difference??????

[gbower]

I had all my clubs lengthened about 1 1/4" and the grips made bigger without the taper. Luckily I have a friend who was able to do this for me but I intend on learning over the winter so I'll be able to do my own. I found the bigger grips to make a huge difference and have trouble now if I try a club with the smaller tapered grips. The length will help in getting the distance back up to what you may have had with a conventional swing. I haven't had my lie angle checked or changed yet and that make also make some difference. Lots of things to check and work on over the winter (yuck).

[em69]

Gangrel,
YEs bigger grips make a difference. As far as I know, it is one of the main requirements in NG.

Even if you are not a NG, it is always best to have your grips sized properly.

[cruxradio]

I have taken a few regular golf lessons with Clem, but his he prefers Moe Normans swing . 3 hours of lessons with Clem over the course of the summer has improved my scores - from low 90's last season to low 80's this season (20 hcp to 14 hcp).

Call him this Sept/02 if you're looking for NG lessons 613 263-3531

Regards
Crux

[natgolfer]

Information on Moe Norman
Book - "The Feeling of Greatness"
Tapes - "Journeyman," "Pipeline Moe Norman," "Bishops of The Game,"
TV - "The Life and Times of Moe Norman" is available from CBC, as after the initial telecast I called them and they indicated that it would be available in the future. In June they called back and said that it was ready for public distribution.

Moe has a single axis swing which is similar. but not exactly the same as what is being taught by Natural Golf.

There are now a handful of single axis swings- Lever Power Golf(LPG), Big Grip Golf(BGG), Ideal Mechanical Advantage(IMA), Heard Super Swing(HSS). They all have the trail hand grip running across the palm, and the clubshaft and the trail forearm or trail arm form a straight angle(line) versus the obtuse angle formed by the same in a conventional swing, and therein is the superiority of the SA swing.

Convincing a life long conventional golfer that SA is better is virtually impossible, for most golfers have been brainwashed(myself included at one time) that the CG swing is the only way. It takes an open minded person, who is willing to dare to be different, to change to SA. Once switched, most simply say, "I will never go back," because they all hit the ball straighter, and straighter shots usually result in lower scores.

Is the SA swing easy to learn? No! But, it is easier. The problem is in extinguishing from your subconscious, your CG swing. It can be done. Those of you who have shorter, "flatter" swings can convert in no time. With current upright swings, the task is a little tougher.

To illustrate the superiority of SA, take this simple, almost unrelated test. Take 15 golf balls, stand FACING a waste paper basket and with your throwing hand, underhand toss the balls, and see how many you get in the basket. Now, turn 90 degrees clockwise, (assuming you are right handed) and underhand toss the balls to the bucket. Which one is better? If it is the latter, take your CG swing to the course and have fun. If it is the first one, facing the bucket, SA will make you a better ball striker.

With a couple of exceptions, the local experts will crap on SA because that is not what they teach. They will tell you that you will lose distance-a lie. They will ask-Who is using SA on the PGA tour? No-one, except Sandy Lyle. This does not mean that SA is inferior. Obviously, if 99.9% of available golf instruction is conventional, then the odds are quite good that you will become a conventional golfer.

Personally, I am better ball striker now than before I switched to SA 7 years ago. I average 14.24 GIR, playing Greensmere black tees, and have a scoring average 72.76. Unfortunately, I am a very mediocre putter at best, averaging 33 PPR, and have 3 putted 46 times in 36 rounds there. I am also, unfortunately, closer to 60 years of age than 50. I recently hit 18 out of 18 greens in a round at Greensmere, the first time ever. SA made me do it!

Simply put-if you are happy playing the kind of golf that you are, don't even consider an SA swing. If you want to be a better ball striker, just do it.

BTW-GBOWER above indicates above how much he has improved and because I play with him frequently, I can attest to the positive changes in his game. In fact, in my 41 years of playing, I have never seen anyone improve so much, so quickly, than he has, after switching to SA .