Australian golf legend Greg Norman’s strange daily ritual gets him in the zone
Australian golf legend Greg Norman has opened up about the cathartic morning ritual that gets him in the zone to run his business empire.
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Australian golf legend Greg Norman has opened up about the morning ritual that helps him get in the zone for success in business.
The former world No.1, who lives in Florida, mows his lawn for two and a half hours.
“Most days, I’ll get up at 5(am), 5.30, 4.30 or 4.45,” Norman said at an in-conversation event about business resilience for the American Australian Association.
Asked by host Duncan McKenzie-McHarg about his typical morning routine, Norman said: “One of the enjoyable things I do on my property ... I’m very, very lucky to have a property that goes from the ocean to a coastal waterway, and it has an expansive amount of grass
“I enjoy getting on my mower and mowing my lawn. Yesterday, I got on my mower and I mowed for two and a half hours. It’s very cathartic in a lot of ways because you can actually think about what you’re doing.
“I care abut my grass because I design golf courses, I care about irrigation, I care about plant material, and how much water we use, and how much water we shouldn’t be using.
“When I’m riding around on my mower, I’m into this moment, and two and a half hours goes by, and then before I end, I’ve got a conference call, (and other business matters).”
Norman’s business empire includes golf courses, gold course design, wine and clothing.
Norman also discussed his friendships with US presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.
He said Mr Hawke taught him “how to make a speech and deliver a message by looking people in the eye.”
Mr Hawke told Norman: “When you make a speech, write down five or six words, put them on a little piece of paper in front of play you. Talk about that first words as your introduction, it could be 8 minutes or 12 minutes, when you start to exhaust (the topic), look down at the next word.”
Norman described the dilemma of getting a call from the White House with a request to play golf with President Clinton during a visit to Australia in 1996.
“I’m a conservative,” Norman said. “I’m thinking, ‘How do I do this?’”
He called another golfing buddy, President George H.W Bush, and asked for advice.
“I don’t share his political views, I don’t share some of the things he did,” he told President Bush.
President Bush replied: “Greg, you will respect the office of the President of the United States. You will go play with him.”
Norman sat up straight: “Yes sir!”
Norman said he and President Clinton “struck up a friendship” while playing golf in NSW.
“I never prejudge anybody anymore,” Norman said. “I prejudged the president from what I was reading, and from what the media was telling me.
“Before we teed off, I told him, ‘I owe you an apology,’ and I told him the story. Since then, over the years, we spoken about a lot of things, and shared different points of view.”
Asked if he’s prouder of his achievements in golf or business, Norman, who has a net worth of $400 million, said: “Business.”
He also said his favourite course in the world is the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.