Greg Norman has never been casual about performance. Not during his 331 weeks as World No. 1, not through the expansion of his business empire, and not now, in his 70s. In fact, when asked about his approach to fitness and longevity, Norman didn’t offer a new philosophy. He simply explained the habits that have governed his life for decades.

Norman continues to train five days a week, often for up to two hours, mixing cardio and weights. Moreover, when asked what drives a man his age to maintain that level of intensity, his answer was blunt: “I think it’s just my DNA. My whole life I’ve been a very disciplined guy.” Greg Norman talked with Men’s Health and explained how his routine has been for years.

He traces that discipline back to childhood in Townsville—“running on the beach, skid-boarding every afternoon… riding a horse bareback along Pallarenda… snorkeling, SCUBA diving, Aussie Rules, and rugby.” Additionally, the volume hasn’t slowed with age.

When asked whether he has ever been out of shape, Norman was candid about the closest he had come. Even so, he told Men’s Health, “There was a time I probably drank one or two too many beers of a nighttime than I should have.”

But even then, his nutrition rarely drifted. In fact, in 1991, during the peak of his career, he made a strict pivot, as he put it, “I decided to get off pretty much everything white.”

Furthermore, even three decades later, "the Great White Shark’s” discipline remains obsessive. “Even now if I have sushi, I’ll eat just the fish and not the rice. I’m way more meticulous now than when I was playing,” Norman said.

And as a result, the effects of that discipline show up not in theory, but in how he performs in real-world conditions.

Physical Baseline Built for Extreme Conditions

Norman is confident that his habits translate directly into performance. “I would have no problems walking 36 holes around a hilly golf course in Colorado.”

To illustrate this, he points to recent high-altitude tests. “I was just in Tibet… and I’m going to the Himalayas again… up to over 20,000ft [6096m],” he explained. Similarly, even at his ranch in Colorado, half that elevation, he handled heavy manual work without hesitation. “I don’t have to say to myself, ‘Oh, can you do this?’ or ‘You’re going to wake up tomorrow feeling like crap.’ I don’t have those thoughts.”

His confidence isn’t bravado; it’s data from lived experience. Consequently, when asked if he feels 24, Norman didn’t make comparisons; he made a point. “All I can tell you is I don’t take any medication or any painkillers anymore like I used to when I was playing golf. I’m free of everything. My body has been cleansed.”

For a man whose competitive years involved constant strain, the absence of medication is notable. Norman’s lifestyle isn’t about nostalgia or aesthetics. It’s strategic.

“I’ve been very open about the fact that I want to be the longest-living Norman.” And he knows the family data. How, you ask? After all, as he put it, “The Normans have got some really good genes. On my mother’s side, it’s 90s and 100s. My dad [Mervyn] is 93 this year.”

His target isn’t metaphorical, as he said, “I’d like to hit 108, 110.” Therefore, whether dominating the PGA Tour, building an international brand, leading LIV Golf, or trekking the Himalayas. Norman’s identity has always been tied to physical capacity and self-governance. 

Written by

Dolly Bhamrick

Edited by

Joyita Das