Aussie Rules - A bimonthly column from Travel + Leisure Golf by Greg Norman

Beginning with its January/February 2004 issue, TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF proudly welcomed Greg Norman as a Columnist. Norman could write his own ticket at any golf publication, but he joined TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF because, as avid Shark.com readers know, he is about far more than hitting golf balls. Sure, he was the sportpis defining player in his prime <> winning two British Open Championships, 20 PGA Tour events and another 66 titles worldwide <>but more than any other player, Norman has extended his range.

Many a professional golfer has delved into course design, but only Norman has marketed new kinds of grass. Other pros have stuck their name on a wine label, but Norman has taken the industry by storm. Golf, wine, restaurants, real estate, fashion is a perfect fit with TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF. When you add it all up, Norman might be the ultimate TRAVEL + LEISURE GOLF guy, and his column, Aussie Rules, will reflect his enormous breadth of experience about various subjects relating to the golf lifestyle.

For me, getting to the course is almost as much fun as being there.

I've always been addicted to high-octane activities, and that includes driving automobiles. I love talking about cars and their performance, and still occasionally wander into a garage near my Florida home to chat with people who share my passion.

I have been fortunate along the way to parlay this zeal into a collection of top performance vehicles. The first one came soon after I earned my first European Tour victory in 1977 and signed my first major endorsement agreement, with Wilson. My twenty-second birthday was just four months behind me when I set out on a shopping spree in London. In addition to some necessities - a suit, pants, shirts and shoes - I bought a gleaming red used Ferrari 308 GTB.

I was as excited as I had ever been about a material purchase and wanted to drive it right out of the showroom. Waiting the requisite two days for delivery was unbearable. I had long been a fan of the sleek lines, superior craftsmanship and lineage of the Ferrari brand, but truth be told I was most attracted to the sheer power.

Unfortunately, that Ferrari and my fair hair quickly became all too visible to the authorities as I sped along the M4. I knew it wasn't wise, but I felt an insatiable need to test the power of that machine. In fact, I preferred to take the back roads of the English countryside, not just for the beauty of the scenery but to test my Ferrari on the tight winding roads that were less traveled by the local police. My journey home was never boring.

After a time, I decided that the red Ferrari was too conspicuous, so I stored it in the garage and purchased a silver one - a new and more powerful GTS model. Somehow, I was only stopped once in this car, but the policeman asked me for my autograph and let me go with a stern warning.

It was my love of speed that led to a friendship with Nigel Mansell, a former World Champion Formula One driver. We met at a pro-am in Australia in 1986 and quickly formed a bond based on our mutual love for both golf and cars. We also shared a similar chemical makeup, which included an intense desire to compete and to win.

I watched Nigel win the 1987 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and he visited me at the European Open at Walton Heath a few months later. Nigel arrived in his helicopter, and I was driving a rented Jaguar that week.

After the final round, I bet him dinner that I could make it to my hotel, a thirty-five-minute drive from the course, faster than he could. The caveat was that he had to give me a ten-minute head start before he turned on the chopper's engines. In the end, we arrived at the hotel at exactly the same time, but he later admitted - in typical Nigel fashion - that he'd only waited five minutes before taking off.

A few years later, Nigel and his wife came to visit Laura and me in Florida. I had to drive to Fort Lauderdale to pick up a new Ferrari Testarossa I'd stumbled on at an incredible price. Nigel offered to accompany me. We drove down in a splendid Bentley.

I drove the Ferrari home and Nigel took the Bentley. While both are powerful, there's no question that the Ferrari is the superior performance machine. Yet watching Nigel's handling of the Bentley, it was clear to me that while the car makes a difference, it's the driver who makes the car.

That afternoon, Nigel took the new Ferrari for a spin in a nearby parking lot and, just to show off, he dropped the clutch and carved a figure eight with a perfectly closed loop that would have made Nancy Kerrigan proud. He made that car talk, without resorting to brute force and without once losing control. With confidence and precision - two qualities I have always admired - Nigel showed why he was the best in the world.

My travels have given me the chance to meet a number of other motor-sports celebrities, including Sir Jack Brabham, the first driver to be knighted for his services to motor sports. I've enjoyed some wonderful times with Barry Green, Danny Sullivan and Jeff Gordon, from whom I've learned a great deal about cars and the business of motor sports. In fact, at one time or another, I almost formed a partnership with each one.

While these deals never came to pass, I was always enthralled with the notion of owning my own racing team, the inner workings of which I got to see through Roger Penske. Roger helped me understand and appreciate a successful entrepreneurial model, and I have tried to implement some of his strategies at Great White Shark Enterprises, such as his steadfast commitment to excellence.

I have also had a number of off-road escapades. One entailed driving a fully equipped Hummer H1, when it first came to market, through a desert obstacle course in Nevada. Just prior to setting off, the instructor insisted that this vehicle could not get stuck on the course - and that was all I needed to hear. After less than a mile, I positioned it on a rock in such a way that there was no escape. I high-sided the Hummer, and a tow truck was required to get it down. I so enjoyed the experience that I purchased an H2 of my own a short time later.

But my most memorable driving experience is one that never fully happened. In 1998, Chevrolet, for which I was a spokesman, invited me to drive the pace car at the Indianapolis 500.

A couple of weeks before the race, I flew to Indy to take a few hot laps with each of three pace cars. I was encouraged to drive all of them and to pick the one I thought performed best.

Well, I proceeded to do about 120 laps, much to the chagrin of those who wanted this to be a quick and largely ceremonial experience. Let me tell you, opening up a Corvette on that historic track was far more exhilarating than anything I had ever experienced behind the wheel. It was especially thrilling coming out of turn three, where there felt to be a little reverse camber. I distinctly remember the sensation of being pushed up toward the wall. Since discretion is always the better part of valor - and they needed the Corvettes in one piece - I backed off and did not push my novice skills to the limit.

I couldn't wait for the big event! Unfortunately, I was experiencing shoulder problems at that time. I knew surgery was inevitable, but the plan was to take care of everything sometime in June, well after the 500. A scheduling snafu, however, required me to have the operation prior to the race. Although I was physically able to drive on race day, I did not know if there were going to be any minor effects from the surgery that would compromise my driving, so I made the decision to stand down - a choice I'm still saddened about.

Parnelli Jones, winner of the 1963 Indy 500, was chosen to take my place. As a consolation, Chevrolet sent me one of the replica pace cars. It was a wonderful gesture, but I would much rather have driven on race day!

Cars play a big role in my golf course design business, too. For example, I was in Dubai this spring to play in the Desert Classic and to examine a spectacular piece of land where I will be building three courses. Along with several members of my design team, I hopped in a Land Rover (with whom I now have an endorsement deal) one morning and drove deep into the desert to inspect the property. Driving that vehicle on terrain on which it was truly designed to perform was a treat - it handled everything with style.

While car collecting may seem like an extravagance on the surface, one has to remember that I always treated it like a business, similar to acquiring works of art. Sure, I enjoyed driving my Ferraris, but I also meticulously maintained each and every one and eventually sold them at a profit.

That era is behind me now, and I reflect on it with no regrets. But not a month goes by when I don't think about being behind the wheel of one of those special cars again. These days, I drive more sedate sport utility vehicles or sedans, but I will always be a "petrolhead" at heart.