Moe Norman

One thing that drives me crazy!

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One thing that drives me crazy is this comment: “If Moe was so good, why didn’t he play on the PGA Tour?” Another form of this question is this: “If the Single Plane golf swing is so good, why isn’t there more tour players on tour using it?”.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the question. As a matter of fact, I myself probably asked the question 20 years ago when I first heard of Moe (Although I doubt it).

There are a few things about this question that have me flummoxed.

First, the question implies that all that there is to play the game of golf, and winning on the PGA Tour is mostly about ball-striking. This is far from the truth. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine made me laugh this week when, after caddying for a tour player in the recent Orlando PGA event, said “You know that commercial that says ‘these guys are good’. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to ball-striking ‘These guys (PGA players) are NOT that good’”.

My friend is right. The PGA tour players are, at best, adequate ball-strikers.  And good players know this. There is so much to play a good round such as chipping, putting, course management, decision making, caddies, good and bad breaks….  The list goes on and on.  Ball-striking is just a piece of the puzzle.

The second frustrating part of this question is that, the person asking the question is usually 10,000 hours away from being a skilled golfer. As a matter of fact, the skilled golfers I know don’t often question Moe’s ball-striking ability because skilled golfers understand the importance of ball-striking as it relates to playing the game. Is an important part but not the total determinant of playing great rounds. Heck, Moe even knew this and started every clinic by talking about how important the wedges are.

If you want to truly understand how ball-striking helps you become a better golfer, the answer lies what great ball-striking actually does for your game – one word – Consistency.

Great golf is played because, because of great ball-striking (or adequate in the case of the PGA Tour), only if you are able to predict outcomes. For example, things such as where your drives will likely end up, or how far you hit a 5 iron or 8 iron no longer leave you guessing about whether you can get over a water hazard or bunker. Furthermore, adequate ball-striking can allow you to manage your game and strategize how you play certain shots or holes.

Without predictable skills in ball-striking, there is no real way to develop consistency in your scoring. One day you will play a golf course where driving accuracy is not a premium and you might score well due to the fact that all of your off-line drives end up in bounds with clear approaches to the greens where, on a difficult course, you would have found yourself penalized and replaying shots from the tee. I recall one student in particular who kept statistics on all of his rounds such as Fairways hit (FW), Greens in Regulation (GIR) and Putts (P). One statistic he tracked was what he called BUH – for “blow-up-holes”. Not a regular statistic on the PGA tour, but maybe it should be. My students BUH statistic was related to having an explosion and making a triple-bogey or worse on a hole.

Further investigation, however, showed that his BUH’s were mostly due to bad drives almost 95% of the time. What does this tell us? Those statistics are great if you look at them correctly and that scores, as in this student’s situation, were reflected in his ball-striking ability particular to his driver. This was definitely a case of ball-striking However, often students will blame their ball-striking when statistics show that their putting is the problem.

In one situation, after working with a student for almost 6 months and huge ball-striking improvements, he was still complaining about high scores. I offered to play around and observe the real problem. After the front 9, it was obvious that after working for months on his swing, he had neglected his short game – scoring 45 with four 3-putts and two 4-putts! I decided on the back-nine to let the student hit the shots and I would play against him, from his shots, from within 100 yards.  With my rusty short game, playing from my students’ shots, I scored 36, even par. My student shot 43. I beat him by 7 shots! A perfect example of adequate ball-striking is all you really need to play good golf.  Consistency and a having a short game are the main factors.

Furthermore, you can’t shoot 59 three times or score 61 as many times as Moe did without both, ball-striking, short-game AND putting. Nor can you win as many tournaments as Moe did without more than just ball-striking skills.

One writer friend of mine compared most golfers challenging of Moe’s swing similar to staying in a burning house because it might be raining outside. You will only reap the benefits of Moe’s swing, and the consistency it can bring, if you step out of your comfort zone and get wet. Then again, there was no better way to understand how great Moe was and why so many people considered him the greatest golfer the world never knew. Of course I understand it because I knew Moe and maybe, more importantly, was able to do what was more convincing that anything – watch him hit balls.

So for those of you who might still doubt Moe’s Single Plane Swing – I hope you at some point will come to find the true benefits of an easier swing. Until then stay dry and call 911.

Moe’s Swing Unusual?

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‘Ignorance is bliss”. I don’t know who said it but in the case of Moe’s swing, nothing could be more true.

Two years ago at a “Top 100” golf instructor dinner, I will never forget the numerous conversations in which Moe’s name was mentioned. As a matter of face, I have never been to an instructor gathering where Moe’s swing wasn’t discussed. Now how could that be? Let’s do a bit of simple deduction. Let’s look at a few facts. Fact 1: Some of the greatest golfers talk about Moe as the best ball-striker who ever played the game. Fact 2: The best instructors, including many of the top 100 teachers, talk about and envy Moe’s ball-striking ability. Fact 3: The goal of a great golf swing is to swing the club on plane. Fact 4: Moe swung the club on plane better than anyone because he started and impacted on the same plane. Fact 5: Moe’s swing was considered unconventional.

Now, after looking at all of these facts, where swinging the club on plane is the goal and the greatest players and instructors consider Moe the best – wouldn’t it make more sense that Moe’s swing is considered a standard as opposed to unconventional. There is more to my argument. Consider that back pain is one of the leading causes of injury and is the most common problem for golfers of every level and golf continues to be one of the most difficult games to learn, master and play.

Wouldn’t you think, after considering these facts, that someone might look at Moe’s swing as a SOLUTION to these problems as opposed to unusual? Well, as you know, I do. I see Moe’s swing as THE solution. The problem is that most people have been convinced, by watching golf on television, that conventional golf is bio-mechanically correct. Could it be possible that the tour players are wrong? The answer is unbelievable, yes. The tour players, at least most of them, are starting their golf swings in a biomechanically inferior position at address. How could this possibly be?

I call it the “One Mistake” where the players hang the arms directly below the shoulders – straight down- at address. Why do they do this? I really don’t know. But nobody else does either. I have talked to hundreds of instructors and nobody can explain why any player would hang the arms straight down. The only answer they can come up with is that “this is where they hang”. Logical? Not really. Because if your task is to strike a golf ball, with a golf club where the ball away from you – it makes no sense whatsoever to hang your arms in any direction other than one that is in alignment with the ball you are intending to strike.

So, logically, you should align your arms with the object you are intending to strike. So why is that so unusual?

The Evolution of Simple

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Skills, such as playing a musical instrument or striking a golf ball are complicated tasks learned through repetition. The brain requires a certain amount of reinforcement and repetition to retain a sub-conscious – non-thinking action that we call “skill”. When it comes to the amount of reinforcement and repetition, there is no “simple” way to give the brain the number of experiences.  If it takes 100,000 repetitions, for example, you must put in the time to give ourselves at least this many experiences.  Even Moe, who I once asked why he kept practicing even at the age of 70, said “To make it (his swing) stronger.

Repetition of a task makes the skill stronger. This might seem a bit discouraging however, studies show that anyone who diligently practices two hours a day, can master any skill in five years. This evidence alone should be enough to get you off of your couch. But when you do, another question arises – “Where do I start?” And the answer to this question is the evolution of simple.

Simple is a term often used by the golf instruction industry to attract customers. Once the customer buys in, however, he often finds himself once again confounded by the amount of effort it really takes to achieve a good golf swing. To me, the golf swing is very simple however, my learning process was not. I put in many hours and I would be lying to you if I said that it was easy. When I asked Moe how he learned to hit a golf ball so well, he answered very profoundly, “hard work, it takes hard work”.

So if you understand at the outset that it is going to take time and effort, you are then ready to realize what it means to be simple. Simple, by this definition is the difference between easy and hard. In other words, there is an easy way to do something and a hard way to do something. The goal, therefore, is to use the easy way of striking a golf ball and in doing so, you will be able to achieve a lasting, pain-free, and maintenance-free way of playing golf. Simple means longevity and when compared to “conventional” methods, just makes sense.

Moe Norman’s golf swing is simple for a number of reasons often discussed in our teaching. It’s simplicity, we call the Single Plane, is founded on common sense – the common sense of starting the club on the same plane as impact. What could be more simple than that?  And because of the “start where you impact” Single Plane, there are stresses and rotations of the conventional swing are no longer necessary. But be careful. This does not mean that there aren’t any rotations in Single Plane Swing which is often the assumption of those who first observe Moe’s swing.

The fact is that there are the perfect amount of rotations in Moe’s swing. What we call bio-mechanical efficiency. Another way to look at bio-mechanical efficiency is the perfect amount of movement to achieve the task. In Moe’s case, the task was moving a golf club in such a way as to strike a golf ball with perfect backspin. When you look at the golf swing from this perspective, your task is to move the club – not strike the ball. From this perspective, simple becomes more easily understood. Simple means efficient.

With this in mind, you can now begin by modeling Moe’s Single Plane Golf swing and allow yourself to refine the movements necessary to achieve Moe like efficiencies. This means a bit of trial and error and much practice. So as I always recommend, start using video analysis to monitor your movements.  This is a sure way to keep on track and short-cut the process of learning a truly Simple Single Plane Golf Swing.

Perfect Practice – Moe Story

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Hi Everyone,

One of the best times we have at our schools is having lunch with all our students. My staff and our students spend about 45 minutes each school day enjoying lunch (and a good break). It always seems the lunch talk turns to Moe and our stories about Moe.  This past weekend was no different – and it reminded me of a story I wanted to share with everyone and maybe it will help your practice a little.

A few years after Todd met Moe, we went back down to Orlando for a few weeks (in the winter) to work on our games for the upcoming golf season. Todd had scheduled some time in his schedule to meet with Moe at his home course in Titusville, FL (Royal Oaks) and continue his work on mastering Moe’s swing.

Early one morning – we traveled from Orlando to Titusville to meet Moe. Todd met Moe at the clubhouse and proceeded to go the range with Moe. This day Todd was working on proper impact with the driver, facing ball at impact and the proper release.

Moe showed Todd what he thought he was doing and they proceeded to practice. I remember hitting a few balls next to Moe and Todd, but was more interested in watching what they were doing.

First – as Todd and Moe practiced, Moe would show Todd his positions, but always referred to his positions very “slow” and seemed to exaggerate them when he showed them… Meaning, he would show the positions in slow motion and make a point to go “beyond” where you needed to in the swing.

Todd started to practice, and I remember Moe saying “Slow down. Bump the ball off the tee. Feel the positions – slow down.”

As most know, it is very difficult to not hit a driver hard… when you put the driver in your hands, most want to swing it hard… but Moe didn’t want any of that. He wanted Todd to slow down, hit it slow, feel the positions.

I remember about that time, I went to the putting green to hit a few putts/chips as we were going to play a few holes later… but I could still see Todd working with Moe from the green.

For the next hour, all Todd did was very short “bump drills/shots” with the driver in slow motion. Only taking the driver to waist high in the back swing and then “bumping” the golf ball off the tee and going to waist high in the through swing. And doing this in slow motion – VERY SLOW.

After an about an hour I went to Todd and asked if he wanted to go play a few holes… he said he was going to continue to practice… I went and played a couple of holes, came back and guess what Todd was still doing…… yup – the slow motion bump drill working on proper positions. Moe had gone in for a while, went to hit a few putts, and returned to watch Todd and make sure he was still working on proper positions…  I just remember him telling Todd – slow down, feel the positions… slow motion type of practice…..

Let’s discuss perfect practice a little… what is perfect practice to you?

For most, it is going to the range, hitting a few golf balls and hoping the figure something out.

How many of you practice in slow motion?

How many of you practice in slow motion to feel the positions?

How many of you are confident enough in your knowledge of the golf swing you would know what the perfect positions of the golf swing are?

It’s pretty interesting at our schools. We have our students work on the PVC drill the first day to work on the different positions of the golf swing. For most, it isn’t anything new as they have done the PVC drill many times at home. But to us (instructors), it is interesting as 9 out of 10 students don’t “hit” the different positions correct. In other words, they have been doing the PVC drill at home, but not correct…. what is this doing to their swing?

Perfect practice involves knowing what you are working on. Not guessing.

Perfect practice involves A LOT of slow-motion practice to make sure you are doing correct and allows you to “feel” the positions.

Perfect practice involves a “check system” that allows you to make sure you are doing it right. Maybe in front of a mirror, maybe videoing, maybe having someone else watch…

If you’re really serious about getting better – you will figure out how to practice perfect. Come find us – we’ll give you many things to work on, but more importantly we’ll show you how to practice. So that every time you practice, you will make sure and make yourself better.

Remember – Always Practice with a Purpose.

The Machine, the Tool, and the Task

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For the last 6 years now, I’ve been a member of the GGA team. In these 6 years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet thousands of people, make some wonderful friends, and expand myself in ways I never thought possible. It’s been a great 6 years to be sure.

One thing that some may not know about me is that before I became a member of the GGA team in January of 2004, I was a student of the GGA. I, like you, was looking to Todd and Tim to offer me a way to improve my golf game. I already knew without a doubt that Moe Norman’s Single Plane golf swing was the golf swing for me, and at my first interaction with Todd and Tim, I knew they were the ‘masters’ I would follow to achieve the improvement I sought.

One of my favorite things about Todd and Tim as teachers, besides teaching the simplest swing on the planet, is their desire to look for ways to improve, enhance, and evolve their instruction. In recent years, we have begun to try to simplify our instruction, and we now look at the golf swing in these terms:

  1. Task – Hit a golf ball towards the intended target
  2. Tool – The golf club in your hands
  3. Machine – Your body

Of those 3, you really only have control over 1 of them; your body. Golf clubs can be fit to you, but they still are just a tool, and without a machine to use the tool, they are useless. Your body is truly the only variable that you can control, and over the last 6 years, I’ve often seen it hinder many, if not most, of our students trying to swing like Moe. Hell, it hinders me too. My body isn’t as strong, supple, or flexible as it was 20 years ago, and I’d bet a “dollar to a doughnut” that yours isn’t either.

So Why bring this up?

Simple; Todd, Tim and I believe with our entire beings that Moe Norman’s Single Plane golf swing is by FAR a simpler, more bio-mechanically efficient and effective way to accomplish the task of hitting a golf ball toward an intended target.

Here’s the rub, however. For the students who’ve found renewed hope in Moe’s swing, the vast majority simply don’t have their “machine” in the correct working order to move the tool and perform the task. It’s their bodies that are failing them, not their desire or willingness to work and practice. Their machines, for lack of a better term, are broken and need some work.

Now I know you’re reading this going, “Sure he says that, they’re trying to sell them to make $’s”, and you’d be right. HOWEVER, let me pose this question to you. If you buy a product that helps you tune your “machine”, which in turn helps you achieve Moe’s swing more easily, which in turn helps you perform the task more consistently, and we make a few $’s in the process, isn’t that a win-win proposition?

The Flexibility & Golf Exercises DVD came into existence for only 1 purpose, and that was to be helpful in getting your “machine” in the correct working order to give you the best chance to play your best golf. Simple as that. Go check it out, and get a copy. Do the tests, the exercises, and go forward knowing that your machine, your body, will no longer hinder your ability to swing like Moe.

All the best,

Scott Renfrow

Great Testimonial from our March 6-8th school

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We received a great testimonial from our school that just ended here in Orlando on the 8th.

Paul D. writes,

“Hi Scott,

I am sending a quick note to say thank you and that it was great meeting you, Todd and Tim last week. I really enjoyed the school. This was truly the best golf experience I have ever had and I learned more in the 3 days than I have in the last 12 years. I finally have a process that makes sense and I plan on following it as long as I can play golf.

I was on the moenormangolf.com website and looking at the Internet Golf Academy. When I scrolled down, the person in the “before and after picture” looked very familiar :). I am very flattered that you put it on the website. Todd has made me a big believer in using video. It has been very helpful looking at the video from the school that Todd analyzed. I am practicing everything I learned and will be using the internet golf academy to send in videos of my swing for more analysis.

Give a big “Thank You” to Tim and Todd.”

Thanks, Paul, it was our pleasure to meet and work with you last weekend, and GOOD work on your swing and game. Best of luck in that tourney in April!

Scott

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