Moe Norman
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Murray Irwin "Moe" Norman (July 10, 1929 – September 4, 2004) was a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
professional golfer whose accuracy and ability to hit shot after shot perfectly straight gave him the nickname "Pipeline Moe". During his career Norman won 54 tournaments in Canada and set 33 course records. He has total 55 professional wins in his golf career. Sam Snead claimed Norman was the game's "greatest striker of the ball", and Tiger Woods said Norman and Ben Hogan were the only two golfers in history to have "owned their swings".


Biography

Born in
Kitchener, Ontario Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about west of Toronto. It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional Administrative centre, seat. Kitchener was known as Berlin until a ...
, Canada, in 1929, Norman developed his golf from childhood at the Rockway municipal course in that city, starting as a
caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...
in his pre-teen years. He refined his skills competing against talented area players such as Gary Cowan and Gerry Kesselring. Norman spent most of his playing career in poverty. He spent many winters setting pins in a bowling alley for a few cents a line. Norman's first win was in 1949, when he won a one-day amateur event at the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club. During 1957, Norman entered 21 separate tournaments and won 17 out of those. It was his first time shooting a 59 as well. Norman won back-to-back Canadian Amateur Championships in 1955 and 1956. He turned professional in 1957 and played briefly on the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
, but due to
shyness Shyness (also called diffidence) is the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness especially when a person is around other people. This commonly occurs in new situations or with unfamiliar people; a shy person may simply opt ...
,
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...
he encountered from certain pros, and a preference to stay in Canada, he stayed primarily in
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
rather than travel extensively outside Canada. In the 1980s, Norman also played several events on the Senior PGA Tour. Late in his life, Norman found better financial security when Natural Golf, an instruction company, and Titleist, a major golf manufacturer, signed him to a lifetime contract after he allegedly told a reporter, "Titleist never did nothing for me." Moe would often perform golf exhibitions across Canada – Wally Uihlein, president of Titleist considered Moe's lifetime contract a "Reverse Scholarship". Norman died in 2004 in a Kitchener hospital from
congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...
, having suffered from the condition since heart bypass surgery six years earlier. He also had a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
two years before his death.


Playing style

Norman was self-taught and never took a golf lesson. Norman's skills as a ball striker are legendary.
Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (; May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades (having won PGA of America and Senior PGA Tour events over six decades) an ...
described Norman as the greatest striker of the ball. In January 2005,
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...
, the biggest golf star of the modern era, told ''
Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...
s Jaime Diaz that only two golfers in history have "owned their swings": Moe Norman and
Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory, hi ...
. Stated Woods, "I want to own mine." Norman's play, along with his way of dressing were both unconventional. He wore long-sleeved shirts in any weather, buttoned to his chin, and his pants did not fit very well. He devised what is known as "The Single Plane Golf Swing" —- rigid arms extended far from his body, a very wide stance with minimal knee bend, shorter-than-usual backswing and extended follow-through with minimal hand action, which produced amazingly accurate ball placement. He played extremely fast, sometimes not slowing to line up his putts. Norman was known for sometimes unconventional behavior on the course. It is said that on one hole his caddie told him he could get to the green with a driver and a 9-iron. Naturally, he hit off the tee with his 9-iron and then hit the green with his driver. While playing in an exhibition match with Sam Snead in 1960, rather than lay up short of a creek hazard, which could not be carried, Norman rolled his drive across the bridge which crossed the creek.


Career


Highlights

* Canadian Amateur Championship winner (1955, 1956)


Canadian Tour

* 55 career Canadian Tour and other Canadian event victories * Canadian PGA Championship winner (1966, 1974) * Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship winner (1979–1985, 1987) * 33 course records * 17 holes-in-one * Several exhibition rounds under 60 ( lowest rounds of golf) * Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995. * Inducted into the
Ontario Sports Hall of Fame The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is an association dedicated to honouring athletes and personalities with outstanding achievement in sports in Ontario, Canada. The hall of fame was established in 1994 by Bruce Prentice, following his 15-year tenure ...
in 1999 * Inducted into the
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...
in 2006


Team appearances

* Americas Cup (representing Canada): 1954 *
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
(representing Canada):
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...


PGA

Norman played the PGA Tour beginning in 1956, as an amateur, with two appearances by invitation as an amateur in the
Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...
: *1956 scored 75-78 then withdrew; *1957 scored 77-74 to miss the cut by one stroke. After a tournament in New Orleans, PGA officials gave Norman a dressing down regarding his playing antics. Feeling let down by the PGA's attitude towards him, Norman returned to Canada to play golf. Norman's record on the PGA Tour: * 27 total events played, with 25 cuts made * 1 top ten finish and 7 top 25 finishes * $7,139 in tournament prize money


Senior PGA

Additionally, Norman played on the Senior PGA Tour from 1981 to 1984: * 5 total events played, making the cut in all 5 events * 1 top three finish and 2 top ten finishes * A tie for third at the Peter Jackson Champions tournament in 1982, with rounds of 70-69-69-69, winning $10,133 in prize money * $22,983 in total tournament prize money


Books and films

Norman's golf achievements and eccentric personality inspired many articles and biographic books including ''The Feeling of Greatness – The Moe Norman Story'', by Tim O'Connor (), ''The Single Plane Golf Swing, Play Better Golf the Moe Norman Way'' by Todd Graves with Tim O'Connor (), ''Moe Norman: The Canadian Golfing Legend with the Perfect Swing'', by Stan Sauerwein (), ''Moe and Me: Encounters with Moe Norman, Golf's Mysterious Genius'' by Lorne Rubinstein, (), ''Finish To The Sky'', by Greg Lavern () and ''Send In The Clown'' by Andrew Stelmack () A documentary film about Norman's life, ''The Feeling of Greatness'', was in production, and scheduled for completion in December 2018. Another film, ''Dance the Green'' was also in production as of 2011.
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
was one of the investors.''SCORE'' golf magazine, April 2011


References


External links


www.moenorman.orgMoe Norman Golf websiteThe Moe Norman DocumentaryMoe Norman Golf Swing Interview Part 1Moe Norman Golf Swing Interview Part 2Norman's swing on a driving range in 1987 on youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Moe Canadian male golfers Golfing people from Ontario Sportspeople from Kitchener, Ontario 1929 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen