Leon Norgarb: World-class golfer, tennis player and coach extraord inaire
SOUTH African Leon Norgarb has for many decades enjoyed a unique place in the annals of world sport.
The renowned tennis coach and former Davis Cup player, who recently died in Cape Town at the ripe old age of 96, Norgarb is the only man known to have played in the majors of both tennis and golf.
The Pretoria-born Norgarb played Wimbledon (thrice) and the French Open (twice) in the early fifties.
In golf, a decade later, he played in The Open after advancing to the main draw from the qualifying tournament.
Not many local sports fans were familiar with his golf exploits, but he did alert national golf to his talents after leading the opening round at the SA Open at Mowbray. It was some achievement, since the field included the great Gary Player and he was in second place after 18 holes.
He had a strong friendship bond with the legendary South African Bobby Locke, one of the greatest golfers of all time.
He was living with Locke in London at the time, and it was Locke who urged him to play the qualifying with a view to qualifying for one of golf's great events.
By the time Norgarb played The Open, Locke had already won the title four times and that ranks as a record for a South African. Even the great Gary Player only won The Open thrice.
Given his tennis and golf prowess, he was suitably equipped to coach the two codes at a professional level. In tennis, he gained worldwide recognition as the master of coaching the serve. Over the years, many world-class players dropped by in Cape Town, where he was based for lessons on the serve.
He coached many national and
Western Province squads and over time produced many SA and WP champions, including his son Lew Norgarb, who achieved a world ranking in the seven hundreds and went on to become a well-known coach in Cape Town. Several players, male and female, whom he coached went on to play on the international circuit.
Norgarb was always a keen student of the game and had a close association with some of world tennis' great thinkers, such as Australia's Lew Hoad and American Jack Kramer, both multiple Grand Slam winners.
He spent several years on the world circuit and played in various countries. After retiring as a player, he invited
some of the world's greatest players to South African tournaments. He had a strong bond with Australians Rod Laver and Roy Emerson, both of whom were world No 1s at various stages.
Norgarb was also recognised worldwide as an expert talent spotter. For many years, tennis organisations and agents would send players to him for assessment.
In the South African context, Norgarb was a staunch advocate of transformation.
He spent seven years on the world tennis circuit, and being exposed to various cultures opened his mind to the evils of apartheid.
In the early 1970s, he joined forces with SA tennis promoter Owen Williams
and they brought out Australian Evonne Goolagong to play in an exhibition event.
The SA government at the time ruled that only white people could attend the event, but Norgarb persuaded the then-minister of sports Frank Waring to allow people of colour to attend. As a result, people of colour attended the Goolagong matches in Rondebosch and Beville.
At the time, the government refused entry to American Arthur Ashe, but Norgarb continued to garner support and eventually the three-time Major was allowed entry.
They became good friends and on occasions, the three-time Major winner played on the court at Norgarb's Rondebosch home.
On another occasion, Norgarb was part of a promotion that brought Brit Virginia Wade out to Cape Town for an exhibition match.
At the time, Wade was fresh from her Wimbledon conquest in 1977, and that marked her third Major title (singles).
Norgarb was also called on to coach Peter Lamb, a player from a previously disadvantaged background. Lamb had immense talent and Norgarb assisted him to play at junior Wimbledon.
With Arthur Ashe's help, Lamb enrolled at an American University, but later he featured so strongly in academics that he decided to stop playing tennis professionally.
Norgarb coached several Cape Flats players free of charge and went to great lengths to assist them with sponsorship. It was not unusual for Norgarb to ask his sponsors to supply his students with kit for his account.
He was immensely popular with his tennis and golf students, and he was a storyteller of note!
Leon is survived by sons Lew and Perry and daughters, Donna, Shelley and Judy.