Todd Graves
Todd G. Graves (born September 23, 1966) is an American keynoter, author, producer, and golf instructor. He is the co-founder of Graves Golf Academy.[1]
Early life and Education
Graves was born to Don and Cheryl Graves in Fargo, ND. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BBA in Management Information Systems.[2]
Career
Graves began playing golf at 11 when he started working at a local golf course, which allowed the kids to work 1-2 days a week and play and practice for free. After a year, he started playing competitive golf. In his senior year of high school, Graves won four golf tournaments.[3]
Graves won an Oklahoma University (OU) walk-on tournament staged by the OU golf staff at the urging of team members Todd Hamilton and David Sheffield, expecting the result so Graves could compete.
However, after a wrist injury that sidelined him from competitive play, he became the Assistant Coach for the OU team between 1989 and 1991. OU team won the National Championship in 1989.
Graves was a member of the Asian Golf Tour (1991) and the Canadian PGA Tour (1995). He also played in the Hooters and Dakota tours.[3]
From 1994 to 1998, Graves served as the Instructor and Tour Player for Natural Golf Corporation.[3]
Graves was mentored by Murray "Moe" Norman, a Canadian professional golfer known as the ball striker in golf history. He became known as Little Moe for his ability to replicate Moe Norman's swing.[4][5] Through his friendship with Moe and their mentor-student relationship,[6] Graves became the authority on Moe's Single Plane Swing and dedicated himself to preserving Moe's legacy and teaching his swing.[7][8][9][10] He is an archivist of articles, pictures, videos, clubs, and memorabilia that pertains to Moe.[11]
In 2000, Graves and his brother Tim co-founded Graves Golf,[12][6] the singular golf program that coaches the Single Plane Golf Swing, Moe's approach to golf.[7] The academy has taught thousands of students in its Florida and Oklahoma City golf schools and in North America.[13][11]
In May 1998, Graves collaborated with Peter Fox for A Lifetime of Better Golf, the single plane method with him on the cover.[14]
Graves has co-authored the book The Single Plane Golf Swing: Play Better Golf the Moe Norman Way (2015).[7][15][16][17][4][18] He is the Executive Producer of The Feeling of Greatness, The Moe Norman Story, a 2023 documentary about his mentor Moe Norman.[19][6][9] Graves produced The Single Plane Solution, Secrets of Moe Norman, a video series that has sold over 1M copies worldwide.
Graves talks about the Single Plane Swing method and his personal stories about Moe's life on several podcasts, including Golf Smarter.[20][21][22] He has been showcased in several print articles, editorials, and magazines, including Golf Digest (1995), Golf for Women Magazine (1996), South Central Section Magazine (1996), and Natural Golfer Magazine.
Graves and Graves Golf Academy have developed the website moenorman.org, where he authors articles related to Moe Norman's stories and his Swing Plane approaches to golf.
Graves has been interviewed on several notable platforms, including CNN.[6] He has been listed in The Best Teachers in Your State by Golf Digest for Golf Graves Academy, Edmond.[23]
Appearances
Graves appeared on the new Graves Golf app/channel and several programs and has been featured in several videos.[2]
- Golf Reform is At Hand; Natural Golf Production by Peter Fox
- Moe Norman and Natural Golf; Golf Digest
- Faults and Fixes; Natural Golf with Ken Martin, Jerry Foltz
- Driving for Distance; Natural Golf with Ken Martin, Jerry Foltz
- Moe Norman Short Game, Natural Golf with Moe Norman
- Lifetime of Better Golf; Natural Golf with Ken Ellsworth, Peter Fox, and Bob Rosburg
- The Single Plane Solution, Secrets of Moe Norman
Personal Life
Graves resides in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife Tracy and his three dogs, Bono, Coco, and Frodo.[11]
References
- ↑ https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92077294-CAN-10.pdf
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://gravesgolf.com/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://coachtube.com/course/golf/swing-fundamentals/813251
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://golf.com/news/the-single-plane-golf-swing-a-few-of-our-favorite-things/
- ↑ https://thegolfwire.com/101217-2/
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/06/golf/moe-norman-golf-ball-striking-cmd-spc-spt-intl/index.html
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://www.golfdigest.com/story/how-to-learn-a-thing-or-two-fr
- ↑ https://www.seekerstime.com/todd-graves-and-his-indelible-mark-in-the-world-of-golfing/
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://www.tribunebyte.com/becoming-a-documentarian-todd-gravess-insightful-journey-from-golf-course-to-filmmaking/
- ↑ https://medium.com/@patrickajohn2/todd-graves-public-figure-in-the-world-of-golf-498cb9c4300e
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 https://openroadmedia.com/contributor/todd-graves
- ↑ https://www.scdemocratonline.com/stories/single-plane-swing-wins-the-open,47430
- ↑ https://golfoklahoma.org/graves-golf-academy-remain-open-coffee-creek-site/
- ↑ https://sportsedtv.com/blog/tips-to-prevent-golf-back-pain
- ↑ https://www.scribd.com/book/523834590/The-Single-Plane-Golf-Swing-Play-Better-Golf-the-Moe-Norman-Way
- ↑ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-single-plane-golf-swing-todd-graves/1120963546
- ↑ https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-single-plane-golf-swing-play-better-golf-the-moe-norman-way-todd-graves/8208340
- ↑ www.myusualgame.com/tag/todd-graves/
- ↑ https://www.thefeelingofgreatness.com
- ↑ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moe-norman-single-plane-golf-swing-featuring-todd/id1460183872?i=1000547883189
- ↑ https://www.spreaker.com/user/smarterpodcasts/gsm22-143-toddgraves
- ↑ https://player.fm/series/golf-smarter-mulligans/the-moe-norman-single-plane-golf-swing-featuring-todd-graves
- ↑ https://www.golfdigest.com/story/best-teachers-state-ranking
