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1981 was my first
year working at Sawgrass Country Club outside of
Jacksonville, Florida; it wasn’t long before I began hearing
stories of a gifted teacher and player in the area, named
Norrie Wright.
In such demand as a teacher, he was booked years in advance;
if a student moved, or died, that time slot became a
precious and sought-after commodity.
One beautiful North Florida morning, I had the good fortune
to meet this great man as he walked through the shop on his
way to play the famous course. Not knowing how hard it was
to see him, I naively asked if I could meet him for a
lesson; he said I could come out at 6:30 next Monday
morning. He slipped me in before the first lesson of an
already busy day.
He started off teaching me to play, but as years passed he
began teaching me how to teach. Everything I know about
helping people to enjoy themselves more on the course, I
learned from Norrie Wright. In the words of Issac Newton:
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders
of giants”.
Mr. Wright was born in Georgia, the son of a Baptist
preacher. He tells the story of how his ‘daddy’ would punish
Norrie when he did something unbecoming, by getting him to
cut the high grass with a scythe. Years later Norrie
attributes the sweeping motion and strength developed from
this activity, with his later becoming known as one of the
longest hitters on the planet, and not a big man at 5’7”.
He taught US Senators, Generals, and top business leaders.
He showed 1973 Vardon Trophy winner Bruce Crampton how to
cure his hook using a package of cigarettes placed on the
ground! He taught Donna White from an early age; she went on
to win the US Ladies Amateur. But it was the thousands of
weekend golfers who probably appreciated him the most.
I would like to present some of the knowledge I have gained
from this brilliant educator. The following six articles
will be Norrie’s teachings on:
1. The Golfing Machine
2. Lag
3. Release
4. Second Axis Tilt
5. How Grip and Stance affect Lag
6. Swing Plane
A few years ago, I was fortunate to take part in capturing
some of Norrie’s teachings for a wider audience. I went to
Jacksonville with documentary filmmaker James Hoagland (The
Lions Roar), and the result is the essence of Norrie Wright,
a DVD entitled The Wright Swing, a video textbook for
students of the game. This is available through my Halifax
Training Center for $29.95 Cdn.
More information. |
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