THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9602020567
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
If you told golfers that they could add 20 yards to their drives if they turned theirs pants pockets inside-out and stood on one leg, they'd do it.
If you told golfers they'd split every fairway by tying a mirror to the back of their caps and holding their breath until they turned blue, the only question they'd ask was whether or not the glass should be tinted.
But tell them they will never hit the ball longer or straighter or with less effort than if they anchor their legs to the turf and deliberately swing with only their wrists and arms, and you could have a riot on your hands.
Or a seminar at the 1996 Golf Expo, which begins tonight at the Founders Inn in Virginia Beach.
It's called ``Natural Golf: The Moe Norman Method,'' and you've already seen a preview if you're a regular reader of Golf Digest. The magazine did a 26-page spread on the 66-year-old Norman and his anything-but-traditional philosophy a couple of months ago.
Mike Hart, a 49-year-old local businessman and former competitive amateur player, saw that story. He hadn't played serious golf in about a dozen years. But he liked the simplicity of Norman's teachings, tested it for himself at practice ranges, and recently visited Norman in Florida for instruction and a firsthand demonstration.
``It was just amazing,'' Hart said Thursday. ``He starts out hitting wedges and, 15 minutes later, he's hitting drivers out of a divot 270 yards in a 10-foot circle. You cannot believe it. Every one of these shots is the dream shot of your life. Every one is on the same line. People in the audience call to him to hit a draw. He says he's going to hit a 20-foot draw. He does. They ask him to hit a fade. He says he's going to hit a 15-foot fade. He does. He put it up on a tee, then he put it up on a 10-inch tee, and the same thing happens. Absolutely straight, with the sound of a perfectly struck golf ball. The man is just phenomenal.''
Hart and partner Tim Pietre received certificates enabling them to demonstrate Norman's Natural Method. They also will have tapes and other instructional equipment on hand this weekend, as will dozens of other golf-related businesses participating in the Expo.
Hart says Norman, a Canadian, has won 70 tournaments in his native land. He says he holds 40 course records.
But few outside the sport's inner sanctum knew who he was or what he preached until Norman hooked up with a scientist-entrepreneur named Jack Kuykendall a couple of years ago.
Basically, Norman's keys to straighter, longer shots are to grip the club in your palms, take a wide stance to promote a solid foundation, use a short backswing and, most radical of all, keep the entire body facing the ball at impact. Power is generated through the wrist and forearm.
``It's diametrically opposed to everything you've ever seen, and when you see the swing, you'd swear it doesn't work,'' Hart said. ``But it does. He never swings the club above his belt.''
While Hart and Pietri will spend the weekend at the Expo and say they will teach their new method to players of any age, they will conduct two formal seminars, at 7:30 tonight and noon Saturday.
They also will demonstrate specially designed equipment that they say makes this radical transition easier.
``When I went to the range after reading the Golf Digest article, I saw some immediate results,'' he said. ``But what I also realized is that there was a big smile on my face. I was enjoying hitting this bucket the way I hadn't enjoyed it since I was 15 years old, when all I was doing was just playing golf, hitting the ball, and loving it. I hit the ball better now than ever, and with far less effort.'' ILLUSTRATION: SEMINARS, CLINICS
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB