For Norwin grad and long-drive pro Justin Moose, round of golf is a different animal

The broad-shouldered man with a moose on his hat and anti-gravity in his golf drives is just glad he got the phone call. Maybe even more glad that he answered it.

Justin Moose was sitting behind a desk in 2018, working as a site manager at a distribution center for American Eagle Outfitters, when he got a call from mogul Frank B. Fuhrer Jr., the man behind the respected golf tournament that bears the beer wholesaler’s name.

“Mr. Fuhrer called to offer me a spot in his event,” said Moose, a Norwin graduate. “It was a life-changing call, to be honest. I owe him a lot for that call.”

The invite — and some positive reinforcement from his wife, Nicole — gave Moose some clarity: I can do this. I am good at this.

No, I am very good at this.

Now one of the top competitive long drivers in the world, Moose sends golf balls into orbit on the pro circuit and also plays tournament golf when his schedule allows.

But he still is a golfer, the same way he is a Pittsburgh guy. He is a professional.

“I caddied in the Fuhrer for Arnie Cutrell years ago,” Moose said. “I never knew I’d be playing in the event. This was my fourth year in it.”

He played in the Fuhrer Invitational again earlier this summer, at the Pittsburgh Field Club, giving him a week off from outings and a chance to test his all-around skills against some of the top young pros and amateurs from across the country.

“I am doing 50 or 60 outings a year now,” said Moose, who lives in South Carolina but still has family in the Pittsburgh area. “People love to see the ball fly. I love to give them a show, and I added in some tricks.”

Moose played golf and basketball and was a thrower in track and field at Norwin. Golf took up his fall seasons, which left no time for football, much to a former Steelers coach’s surprise.

“I was hitting balls at a range one time and Dick LeBeau walks up to me and says, ‘You should be on a football field, not a driving range,’ ” Moose said. “Then I teed one up and hit it. He turns to me and says, ‘OK, maybe you should be on a driving range.’ ”

Going from a swing-out-of-your-shoes showman who clubs it over 400 yards with glorious chants of “Moooose,” to a restrained, methodical ball-striker with touch is no easy task.

Natural talent has taken Moose a long way. He was a talented junior and high school player, first lashing at drives at now-defunct Carradam Golf Course in North Huntingdon. He played college golf at Clarion.

But his dedication and work ethic have made him the “beast” his fellow players have come to know.

“I was hitting it right with him for a few holes,” said Notre Dame junior Palmer Jackson, a Franklin Regional grad who played with Moose in the first two rounds of the Fuhrer. “Then he decides to amp it up a little and really go at it. I was like 50 yards behind him after that. It’s ridiculous.”

Moose, who proudly lets people know where he is from by waving a Terrible Towel before he obliterates drives in competitions — he also has a “Yinz” tattoo — said long-driving and simply playing the game are two different worlds.

“Two different mental processes,” he said. “Two different animals. You train your body like an Olympic athlete so you can swing as fast as possible. Then you slow it all down. It’s a challenge. Sometimes, I have to remember I need to find earth.”

Moose said he hits “chip drives” on par 4s. Even his drivers are different. He uses a driver with 3-degree loft that measures 48 inches long and has an “extra, extra, extra” stiff shaft for long-drive events.

When he plays tournament golf, he has a more standard driver and normal irons. Although the driver loft is about 8 degrees, Moose could probably clear a few football fields with a snow shovel and some anger.

Moose said he hopes to play in a national long drive championship in September. The event is in the works after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season.

He recently began working with a new agent, Art Sellinger, who worked with Canadian long driver Jamie Sadlowski, a two-time world champion in the big hitters game.