Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros are two of golf’s great characters in their own way.
Norman has been an eccentric all his career and he continued in the limelight when he helped get LIV Golf up and running alongside the PIF.
Ballesteros, meanwhile, is a legend of European golf and the pillar on which much of Team Europe’s success in Ryder Cups is built.
Still, while the pair are great golf personalities, we mustn’t forget just how good Norman and Ballesteros were as golfers.
However, it seems that when it comes to Norman, he very much had Seve to thank for one of the best tips he ever got.
Seve Ballesteros’ tip to Greg Norman on how to play chip shots
Anyone who has ever watched or looked at golf in depth will know that Seve Ballesteros is the master of the short-game.
One of the most imaginative players ever, the Spaniard often got himself out of the most tricky scenarios with moments of genius.
Luckily for us – and Greg Norman – Ballesteros once told the Australian just how to get it done.
“Seve was the magician of the short game. He hit shots that I’d never even thought about seeing in my life but one of the things that Seve taught me and it has remained to this day, he said ‘make love to your hands when you put it on the golf club’. More so in chipping than anything else,” Norman revealed.
“And what I mean by that is you have to caress the grip of the club, don’t choke it. The more you have your hands soft on the grip, the easier it is to accelerate through the ball.
“So Seve Ballesteros, not with us anymore, gave me the greatest golf tip of all-time that’s lasted me to this day and that’s make love to your hands, when you go to play a chip shot.”
Seve Ballesteros could challenge anyone in the modern game
There are some marvellous players in the modern game when it comes to the short-game element of golf.
Phil Mickelson is very much like Seve, and his creativity has helped him out of countless situations over the years.
Likewise, Scottie Scheffler is a genius around the greens, while a player like Shane Lowry is also widely accepted as one of the best around.
Still, Ballesteros was arguably on his own planet when it came to the short shots in golf. Indeed, put him in the modern game and you can bet your bottom dollar he’d give anyone a run for their money.
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