Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Video Instruction
| Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A few post ago I wrote an article called, Just Put That Dumb Guy On That Dumb Guy. It was quote from the greatest golfer you never heard of. I came across this video while browsing around the blogs of my fellow golf fanatics. It's the story of Moe Norman. He did things with the golf ball that left onlookers in a state of amazement.
I had actually seen footage of him on The Golf Channel's Top Ten Ugliest Swings. Everyone regarded him as one of the best ball strikers of all time except for the "suits" who ran the golf world. They couldn't grasp his quirkiness and shunned him, which deterred him from playing professionally.
Enjoy the video. Do some research, and you will discover that it doesn't matter what your swing looks like. All that matters is that you get the ball in the hole. Have a great round and always hit your target.
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The descriptions of what Norman did sometimes sound more like urban legends, but the stories are backed up by players like Lee Trevino. Moe Norman really could hit the ball that straight.
While Moe Norman may not be a household name to casual golfers, that doesn't mean he's an obscure person. In fact, you can learn how to hit the ball like him. Just like you can learn the Stack and Tilt swing, you can learn the Natural Golf swing. The official site is:
http://www.naturalgolf.com
I've got a book about it. Essentially, the Natural Golf swing is a two-handed hammer swing. That's why the ball goes so straight; you literally "nail" the ball. I've known a few people who used it successfully, but you have to be committed to it -- it's not something you just "try" for a few days to see if it works.
Craig Bowden is the only professional golfer I know who used the swing.
I noticed Fred Couples, Nick Faldo, etc; standing there watching him hit golf balls on the video as if they were little kids. I would have loved to had a chance to see him play.
...and talk about coincidences. My father-in-law to be came in to town yesterday. We were on the driving range today and he said that back in the day, he had taken some lessons from Moe Norman. I don't know if it was from him one on one, but it was definitely on the concept of the Natural Golf Swing taught by Norman. How funny.
I tried the grip the way my father-in-law showed me. I don't know if I could do it. Like you said, it would take a huge commitment. I'll have to check out the website to see exactly what they are teaching.
The key is that the Natural Golf swing isn't a swing per se. It's a hit. You don't turn your shoulders much, and you're using leverage to hit the ball rather than a rotary swing. Your right hand holds the grip the way your would hold a hammer, and your left arm doesn't go any higher than parallel to the ground.
It definitely works but, like I said, it's a commitment and not a date. ;-)
I can't connect to the website for some reason. It keeps timing out on me. I did watch some video. He really only takes his backswing just past waist high. Where does his power come from? And his follow through looks more like he is hitting a punch shot. Maybe I should pick up the book. I'm trying to be a student of the game. Not that I will change my swing, but I would like to learn more about different swing types and why they work or don't work.
Perhaps their server is down. I couldn't get on either when I got the url for you.
The Natural Golf swing is all about strength and leverage.
The swing itself is short because you're in a better position to use your muscles there; you can get a lot of wrist cock without worrying about uncocking early.
The grip places your right hand in position to drive the head into the ball with the same move you use to drive a nail with a hammer.
And your shoulders don't turn very much because you aren't using rotation to hit the ball. If a normal swing was a trebuchet (a weight-and-gravity driven catapult), the Natural Golf swing would be a spring-loaded lever.
Does that help?
Makes sense. I have some footage of my Father-in-law's swing. I'll do a post on it in a few days. It was one of his best swings of the day. From what I can tell, I think it's a Moe Norman swing.