‘I want to live to 110’: Greg Norman’s bold bid for longevity
He likens hitting a perfect golf shot to having an orgasm, yet Greg Norman rarely steps foot on a golf course these days. But the man known as the Great White Shark says that’s part of his journey to breaking the century.
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He’s 64 and ripped and if Greg Norman has his way, he’ll be around for another 50 years.
Declaring his “body has been cleansed” from no longer playing professional golf, Norman says he now has loftier goals.
In an interview with Men’s Health magazine, out Monday, the Great White Shark reveals his healthy living regimen is driven by genuine ambitions to live until he’s 110.
“I’ve been very open about the fact that I want to be the longest-living Norman,” the two-time major winner said.
“And the Normans have got some really good genes. On my mother’s side, it’s 90s and 100s. My dad (Mervyn) is 93 this year. And I’d like to hit 108, 110.”
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No longer taking medication to combat the pain of 13 surgeries on his knees, hip, back and shoulder, Norman travels the world designing golf courses.
But he rarely plays anymore, despite likening hitting a perfect golf shot to having an orgasm.
“I don’t care what level of golf you play at … I think a pure golf shot is as good as having an orgasm,” he said.
“I’m deadly serious. There’s an absolute rush.
“The rotation of your body, the timing, the feel, the sound, the end result, the visual side of the ball taking off from the club face.
“I can keep going. It’s just such a sensual feeling.”
But it isn’t enough to keep Norman on the fairways.
“I’m not interested in slamming balls anymore,” he said. “I’ve hit more than five million golf balls in my life. Last year I played six times. This year, I think I’ve played maybe eight times. Look, if I do once a month that’s a big year for me.
“I don’t take any medication, any painkillers anymore like I used to when I was playing golf. I’m free of everything. My body has been cleansed.”
Norman says he is happy with third wife Kirsten, who he married following his split from tennis great Chris Evert in 2010.
He admitted his commitment to golf and constant travel took its toll on his marriage to first wife, Laura.
“To be successful you have to be extremely selfish. And being extremely selfish leads to a lot of other dynamics that eventually come into play.
“I don’t know if you want to call that a rebound deal or not, but I still speak to Chrissie. We go back and forth (with texts).”
Norman also opened up on his fallout with Tiger Woods. From having played a round with him when he was in his early teens, the pair no longer speak.
“When Tiger won the Masters this year, I wrote him a handwritten note and drove down my road, maybe a quarter of a mile, and hand-delivered it to his guard at his gate,” Norman said.
“I said, ‘Hey, this is Greg Norman here. I’ve got a note for Tiger – can you please hand-deliver it to him?’ Well, I never heard a word back from the guy.”
Despite spending most of his time in the US, Norman says he is still proudly Australian and has resisted calls from officials to get a US passport while he’s still working.
“I’m an Australian before I am anything else. And for me to carry two citizenships … it would kind of break that allegiance,” he said.
“I get back sometimes three to six times a year. I have flown to Australia just to have a dinner and turned around and come back the next day.
“I can tell you I’ll be in Australia in February to make a pretty impressive announcement about something that’s never been done before to raise money for the Movember Foundation.
“And I’m very proud of it. And I’m going to do it with four other Aussies. It’s going to be a pretty cool experience and every time I talk to somebody about it, they go, “Holy shit, really?”
The December issue of Men’s Health Magazine is out now.
Originally published as ‘I want to live to 110’: Greg Norman’s bold bid for longevity