THE GREAT QATSPY GOLFER
By: Charles W. Boatright
I remember that Saturday mornings meant a day when I could play golf with my golf coach, my grandfather, The Great Qatspy, and his friend, Dr. Choate. As a young boy of eight, I could only chip, pitch, and putt out on the green during the round in the early days. Kneeling down behind a putt, I could hear those reassuring words coming from my golf coach, my seasoned playing partner and about seeing the line, playing the proper break, and commit to that line. My golf coach, The Great Qatspy, paid close attention to details. It was almost as if I was qualifying for the U.S. Open. Coaching was an important attribute that my grandfather possessed that he never relinquished, regardless of the situation. He was your typical Southern Gentleman on or off the course that wore a Gatsby cap. He approached every situation as a coachable opportunity. The Great Qatspy coaching philosophy was, while success had a thousand fathers; failure being an orphan was the one that possessed coaching and learning opportunities.
The Great Qatspy coaching philosophy was, while success had a thousand fathers; failure being an orphan was the one that possessed coaching and learning opportunities.
My grandfather’s nickname was The Great Qatspy, that came from his pig-skin Gatsby cap that he would wear almost everywhere he went.
As I retrieved my ball out of the cup, I would see a man with his traditional pig-skin Gatsby cap drinking ice tea from his canteen that he kept on his golf bag. As I got older and more accomplished with my golf game, the same golf coach with that reassuring voice that was standing then on the greens was now standing with me on the tee box. I heard those same encouraging words from my golf coach, “Focus, preset, and just feel your muscles set your swing; let the club do what it’s designed for.” Those few words helped me enjoy the game and, more importantly, have a special relationship with a man who filled the position of my father and golf coach with a signature Gatsby cap.
Even though I don’t have my golf coach and partner with me today, I can still hear his encouraging words of “Focus, preset, and just feel your muscles set your swing; let the club do what it’s designed for.” Then after I make the golf shot, his coaching fundamentals still ring in my ears, where the memories never grow dim. The words he used to coach a young boy, both about life and golf, still resonate in my mind today. He was truly a Southern gentleman, both on and off the course. His coaching philosophy exemplified a true sportsmanship required to play this greatest game. He always was more focused on the process than the results which put me at ease to learn the valuable lessons. Because he knew results would be achieved later if the process was followed correctly.
He always was more focused on the process than the results which put me at ease to learn the valuable lessons. Because he knew results would be achieved later if the process was followed correctly.
There not too many times that I have displayed emotion in public. But the day I had to say goodbye to my golf coach, The Great Qatspy, my dear friend, my golf partner, and grandfather, was one of those days. When they say a part of you dies when you lose someone close, they are depicting the influence of a close friend had on your life. How do you say thanks to someone who taught you about the greatest game ever, game of golf and life. You do it by passing his coaching fundamentals along to others from his red book.
My Grandfather’s typewriter and his Red Book on coaching.
The Life Lessons On and Off the Golf Course
The life lessons on and off the golf course that my golf coach, my grandfather taught me are ones I have included in my book, The ESPY Golf Swing Coach. This book contains years of how a golf coach taught the principles and techniques of golf to a young boy of “Focus, preset, and just feel your muscles set your swing; let the club do what it’s designed for.” My grandfather Boatright, The Great Qatspy, would remind me that there are over seven hundred years of design in the golf club; you’re not going to add anything to the club’s capability, so just swing the club as if you were a baseball batter in the batter’s box and let the ball and clubface naturally interact. Then watch amazing things happen by properly syncing the elbow and presetting the wrists, as noted below.
My grandfather would often quote his favorite baseball player from the New York Yankees, Yogi Berra, about the ability to hit a home run that applies to the golf swing, “You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing and *technique, it’ll go.” My grandfather added the word “Technique” to Yogi’s quote, where it would better apply to the golfer’s swing. He would stress two words to me on the golf course, CAM (supinate with the Supinator muscle) and CAM-OVER (pronate with the Thenar muscle). These are two very important techniques in my book. CAM and CAM-OVER refer to how the bottom and top parts of the boxing glove wristbands are used to sync and preset the golfer’s elbow with the shoulders and preset their wrists.
There are two key muscles in the golfer’s forearm that develops that feel my grandfather was referring to. Muscle memory isn’t the main thing, it is the only thing that binds the golfer’s game and keep everything together. The two muscles as it happens goes by the same name as the their function; the Supinator and Thenar muscles, shown in the anatomical chart below. These are key muscles and techniques in the ESPY golf swing of syncing elbows with the shoulders and presetting wrists. These two muscles and sequential maneuvers are covered in detail in my book. The significant factor is syncing and presetting the elbows with the shoulders. Syncing and presetting the elbows with the shoulders allow the golfer to provide POWER, SPEED, and more importantly CONTROL in their golf swing.
The reason these two muscles are significant to me and I became acquainted with them was my grandfather’s playing partner, Dr. Choate, an Obstetrician from Little Rock, Arkansas. He conducted extensive research in his spare time in how to optimize the golf swing. On Saturdays we had classes in anatomy where Dr. Choate shared his research with us. I’m just glad the two key muscles had names that I could pronounce.
But like any action, there has to be an INITIATOR and LINKAGE to start the process. In the ESPY Golf Swing, the initiator is the Thenar muscle and the linkage it has with the Supinator muscle. Establishing muscle memory is about the INITIATOR = Thenars, LINKAGE= Brachio-Radialis muscle, ACTIVATOR = in this case the Supinator. This is all the muscle memory you need to remember in your golf swing instead of all those swing thoughts that only derail your golf game.
Establishing this muscle memory allows the golfer to turn their body into a juggernaut based on a simple sprockets on the typical ten-speed bicycle shown below. If the golfer uses these muscles and principles they will experience more consistent golf shots with Power, Speed, and Control.
The Great Qatspy and His Connections to Golf
In the three featured photographs below are first my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Hemi Q. Boatright. Mr. Boatright is the third cousin of P.J. Boatwright, Jr., (with a ‘W’), a former rules official for the USGA. The second photograph was my grandfather in front of his tent in Yellowstone National Park, in 1927 while on vacation. The third photograph was my grandfather on the tee box at North Hills Golf Course, in 1946, in North Little Rock, AR, designed by Bobby Jones, Sr.
If you are a parent, grandparent, or guardian, one of the best things you can do with your child is to put a golf club in their hands and teach them the wonderful game of golf. The ESPY Golf Swing Coach is set up as a self-coaching forum where you can have the privilege of coaching your son or daughter. This is based on the ASPEN (Apperception, Sequence, Performance training, Evocative, Neuromuscular performance) model. One of the best opportunities you have is to spend time with your children for three-and-a-half hours, playing a round of golf with them. This goes especially for our military Veterans. I highlighted the importance of playing golf with your children in my book in Section 11.3:
11.3 Playing golf offers a great way to honor a father, a mother, spouse, family member, or military veteran. Schedule a round of golf on the Saturday before Mother’s or Father’s Day. Or set up a round with a member of the armed forces, to honor their service. Playing golf with a service member is a great way to express appreciation for a veteran’s service. You will be the beneficiary, by extending a hand of friendship to these people. They need our prayers, friendship, respect, honor, and support.
Also PLEASE DO NOT TEXT and DRIVE! Your life and the lives of others aren’t worth a life sentence!
Please include an exercise routine in your weekly schedule.
Also, learning The ESPY Golf Swing Coach process is an excellent way to develop Rhythm without experiencing the Blues:
A Recommendation for your Golf Game:
I would like to recommend a wonderful radio program that I regularly listen to on my I-Heart Radio app on KARN 102.9 FM station, out of Little Rock, AR. They air a golf show called “Arkansas Fairways and Greens,” at 7:00 AM CT each Saturday morning, hosted by Bob Steel and Jay Fox.