The Challengers

Greg Norman: Advice is priceless. Thinking you know everything is stupid. I’m Greg Norman. I’m Dàbái shā, the Great White Fish.

I’ve been very, very fortunate enough to be halfway decent in my career about chasing a white ball from point A to point B, and it actually gave me an opportunity to observe, how do you make a business out of playing golf? When I was endorsed by Reebok, we came up with the Greg Norman collection, we came up with a logo. So, all of a sudden, I’m a brand. My future for beyond golf, my back nine of life, was start my own business. So I decided to venture out on my own, which I did in the early 90s, and now I’m in Great White Shark Enterprises, financed everything myself, and I’m staying true to that and to this name.

In my career, I was never afraid to ask Jack Nicklaus or Tom Watson or Raymond Floyd or Arnold Palmer, “How do you go about things? Once you reach a certain level, what do I do now?” I can go down the list of people that I have been lucky enough to be with that have given me certain pieces of information that I’ve actually applied directly into my life tha’s been, quite honestly, a godsend in a lot of ways.

So anybody who thinks they know it all, good luck to them. Because at the end of the day, I think they’re gonna have a hard time.

Greg Norman, Jr.: Most people out there don’t know how to do most things. The only way you learn how to do it is by going out and seeking advice. He’s no different. He was number one golfer in the world to just starting up his businesses. He’d seek out advice. He’d constantly try to be learning.

Greg Norman: Alright guys, down here to the right, this is Okeeheelee State Park, and then if you see in the lake right down here under construction right there, this is our Shark Wake Park. My son is building a cable park system here, and these are all the kickers and sliders that he has in place. I’m very, very proud of him for identifying this opportunity because it’s a great business model that he’s established here.

Greg Norman, Jr.: He’s not a hands-off guy, not a hands-off CEO or president that can just say, “Go do it.” He’s there every day. He’s trying to make sure everyone’s got what they need to continue doing their job.

Chris Campbell: He’s on every project. He always thinks out of the box. Anytime he’s told the way things should be, he questions that, you know, and he wants to know why that is. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him. So, Greg always challenges everything.

Greg Norman: I was off fishing down near the Turks and Caicos a few years ago. So I’m running my sport fish boat, and I look at the radar and there’s this boat coming from four o’clock catching up to me. So, on the radio, “This is the U.S. Coast Guard. We need you to come out of gear and come to a stop.” And he was asking, “Okay, is this the master of the vessel? Where are you going? Blah, blah, blah. What’s your name? Blah, blah, blah.” And he says, “Oh, you’re the wine guy.” And I went, “Yes, that’s what I want. I’m the wine—not the golfer, I’m the wine guy.” That’s what you want. That’s how you want your legacy and that’s how you build your business.

The one thing that I know I am is I’m 100% hands-on, in all my businesses, I must admit: wine, beef, real estate, interior design, clubhouse design, golf course design. You need to have your impetus on it because this is the Greg Norman brand. I get involved with the label, the shape of the bottle, color palettes, to type of materials we’d use, how it’d fit, get away from the boxy style to a slim fit. Oh yeah, I’m very hands-on, believe it or not. And I like it that way.

It’s not materialistic things. It’s not how much money you got in the bank. It’s the validation of the business model that I originally set out to do. And today, when I go to different places around the world, I go to China, they call me Da Bai Sha. I go to Mexico, I’m Tiburón, the Shark. The Shark. The Shark. The Shark. It’s a logo, it’s a brand, but it’s a moniker that sticks with me and has stuck with me since day one.

I have learned that everybody puts their pants on the same way every day. We all are human beings. Most people who are successful want to hand off a little piece of information. That’s a gift that people I don’t think realize and utilize enough. I used it, and it’s helped me get to a place where I never, ever expected.

I’m a front-seat guy. I’m a big time front-seat guy.