Norman may have let a few big opportunities slip on the course during his playing days, but his two major championship wins – in the 1986 and 1993 Open Championships – are looked back on as dominating performances. He won by five shots in 1986 at Turnberry and shot a final-round 64 to win by two in 1993 at Royal St. George’s.
But where Norman really stands out is in the business world, where he has built an empire since his playing days wound down. A robust course-design firm, an apparel line and a winery comprise just a modest fraction of his total business interests, from which he has made many times more money than he ever made on the golf course.
This is evident in many places, but particularly in Myrtle Beach. One of Greg Norman Golf Course Design’s more than 100 courses worldwide is found at Barefoot Resort. The layout features wide fairways and very little grass rough, with Norman and his associates instead opting to lay sandy waste areas along the borders of many holes. The three-hole stretch culminating at the 10th, a long par-3 by the Intracoastal Waterway, is one of the best trios in Myrtle Beach.
And if you’re looking to up your game during your golf vacation with some inspired learning from Norman himself, you can enroll in 1 to 3-day golf schools at the Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy.
Just across the Waterway from the aforementioned 10th hole at the Norman Course lies Barefoot Landing and another one of the Shark’s Myrtle Beach interests: Greg Norman’s Australian Grille, an Australian-influenced steakhouse that is known as one of the area’s best upscale restaurants. Naturally, Greg Norman Estates wines are featured prominently alongside dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood and other specialties of the house.
Barefoot Landing
Norman is also associated with one of Myrtle Beach’s newest off-course attractions: the Shark Wake Park in North Myrtle Beach, founded by Greg Norman, Jr. For anyone who has wanted to try wakeboarding, or even for avid and accomplished wakeboarders, the Shark Wake Park makes for an excellent outing on the water in a contained environment.
To book your tee time at Barefoot Resort’s Norman Course and dozens of other area layouts, visit our courses page.