|
By Scott Hotard
Naples Daily News
 | | Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk joined Norman at the Suncast Family Golf Clinic. |
|
Greg Norman turned in a scorecard Friday afternoon, answered questions for reporters, signed autographs for fans and then vanished.
But only for a moment.
The Shark's day was hardly done, as he still had a date with a slew of kids. They were waiting for him on the Tiburón driving range.
Norman re-emerged, smiling again, as a cart wheeled him up for the Family Golf Clinic, an annual highlight of the Norman-hosted Franklin Templeton Shootout.
This year's Clinic, presented by Suncast Corporation, packed a pile of memories into less than two hours of lessons and laughter.
There was some inspiration. Pennsylvania resident Kyle Lograsso, the 5-year-old cancer survivor with the seemingly flawless golf game, made an appearance.
There was some instruction. Norman, as well as PGA Tour veterans Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman, talked to the kids -- some of them still wearing school uniforms -- about the importance of a loose grip, a sturdy stance and the right attitude.
There was some amazement. Golf entertainer Dan Boever, who took center stage once the pros finished, wowed folks with moon-scraping drives and misdirection trick shots.
"The kids loved it," Luann Gliwski said afterward, as she watched daughter Anna hit balls on the range. "Now they get a chance to play."
One of the smiling faces -- the most noticeable, perhaps -- belonged to Lograsso, the special guest for this year's Shootout.
Lograsso, who lost his left eye three years ago after being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, was honored Thursday night during the tournament's annual banquet.
Friday afternoon was better.
The first thing Norman did when he arrived at the range was put Lograsso in his lap. The second thing he did was watch the wunderkind hit balls.
"Nice swing," Norman said at one point, after one of the kid's drives. "How good is that?"
As Kyle showed off his skills for one of the game's all-time greats, his parents soaked it in. Jeff Lograsso hammed it up with Funk and Sluman. Regina Lograsso snapped a few pictures before her emotions started getting the best of her.
 | | Kyle Lograsso showed off his skills for one of the game's all-time greats. |
|
Regina was wearing sunglasses. There were tears behind them.
"This is a dream," Kyle's mother said. "It's like seeing your kid's dream come true."
Once Kyle was out of swings, he took a seat next to some other kids. He might have been the only youngster in the crowd who didn't need the pointers.
But for 40 minutes or so, Norman answered questions for the children -- or whoever else asked them. He stressed the importance of keeping the game fun.
"Just to be that close to Greg Norman," said Royal Palm Academy student Preston Seward, a 12-year-old who has played golf more than half his life, "it was really cool."
So was Boever's show.
Soon after he stepped in front of the crowd, Boever drew laughs. He drew more and more as his show went along.
"Everybody's dream," Boever joked, before attempting any of his various tricks. "Following Greg Norman, Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman."
But he did it well.
The massive Boever, a former pro baseball player, crushed balls long and deep off giant tees. He hit balls that faded nearly 90 degrees. He twice hit a ball through a piece of plywood. He hit balls out of boxes that were still packaged.
And he seemed to have a punch line for every trick. The crowd laughed as much as it oohed.
"He is a riot," Gliwski said. "So fun and entertaining."
The kids circled Boever for autographs as the crowd disappeared. They then lined up on the driving range to test some of the lessons they'd learned.
"You have to bend your knees and get comfortable," Seward said. "And you have to enjoy the game even if you don't do that good."
| 
