There has never been a more colorful character in golf than Moe Norman. His legendary accuracy and prolific tournament record are renowned throughoutthe world. Among his many victories are two Canadian Amateurs, Two CPGA Championships and five CPGA Senior championships alon with multiplae victories in the Ontario, Maritoba and Saskatchewan Opens. Though his idiosyncrasies kept him from enjoying a full PGA Tour career he still remains as the best ball striker ever.
Lee Trevino said of Moe, “When you talk about Moe Norman you are talking about a legend. And I'm talking about a living legend. Because the public doesn't know Moe Norman. But you ask any golf professional whether you are an Australian or whether you are in the U.S. or whether your are in Great Britain, and you say that's the Canadian guy that hits is so damn good and I says that's him. He's a legend with the professionals.....I think that if someone would have taken Moe under their wing and I think if they would have taken Moe and said, look we are going to play here, and don't be afraid there is no telling what Moe Norman would have won. I think he would have won the U.S. Open, I think he would have won all the tournaments around the world. I mean he is that good and he is still that good....I think the guy's a genius when it comes to playing the game of golf. "
Moe developed his ‘unique' swing over 5+ years of trial and error starting at the age of 15, and enjoyed much success as both an amateur and professional golfer. With 17 holes in one, three scores of 59, four scores of 61, and over 30 course records during his career , Moe dominated Canadian golf through the mid 20th century.
An unnaturally shy man, Moe shunned public appearances and speaking. His shyness only disappeared while he held a golf club in his hands. During tournaments, Moe would hit drivers off of 6” tees, soda bottles, and play par 4 holes ‘backward', hitting a wedge off the tee and a driver onto the green and still make par or better. After a brief stint on the U.S. PGA tour, these antics earned Moe a ‘dressing down' by some members of the tour, and he left to never play in the U.S. competitively again.
Moe's accuracy with a golf ball earned him a meager living until in 1995. During one of his clinics, Moe hit over 1,500 drives in a little over 7 hours, all of which where within 15 yards of one another. It was this accuracy that eventually earned Moe the respect and notoriety that true genius deserves.
In January 1995, Titleist decided to pay Moe $5,000 per month for nothing more than his unique contribution to the game of golf. Moe passed away September 4, 2004 at the age of 74, with hundreds coming to Kitchener, Ontario, Canada to pay their respects to the legend.
