THE QATSPY GOLFER’S PAGE
By: Charles W. Boatright
General Douglas MacArthur spoke these hollow words, Duty, Honor, Country during his last speech in May of 1962 to the Corps of cadets at the Military Academy at West Point. These words, Duty, Honor, Country, are more than just a creed that echoes through granite halls and down through our history. Duty, Honor, Country depicts the character and sacrifice of those who have paid the ultimate price for the precious liberty and freedom we enjoy. The liberty and freedom that have been secured here and on distance shores sever as the guiding light for us and the world.
The Stars and Stripes that are placed beside each marble marker in fields of Honor represent the Duty that one bared for his or her country. The white Stars and red Stripes are not just symbols sewn onto the fabric of Our American Flag, but represent the red Stripes of their mortality with now are the white Stars that are casted in the heavens of their immortality sacrificed at the altar of freedom and liberty. These Stars sewn onto the blue Canton of our Flag guide us to our future that our country represents. The method we use to honor their sacrifice is to tell their story to generations to come.
But not all sacrifices and battles are laid to rest or fought on distant fields. Many have returned home with their scar and continue to engage in their own personal battles. These men and women who have to bare their scar daily need an opportunity and process to share their story and their burden with a grateful nation, and to tell their story and the story of those who can’t that are Stars in the crown of Liberty.
The opportunity and process that these men and women are seeking and need can be found on another type of fields where futures and dreams are made. Golf has been used for centuries to break down barriers and open up doors of opportunities for our Veterans. The PGA has been working with the Veterans Administration since the end of World War I to transition Veterans back into a productive lifestyle. Business people have understood the advantages that golf offers in refocusing and relaxing the mind that the Veteran needs to regain their confidence and focus. The golfer realizes that golf, like most sports, requires the athlete to separate themselves from and turn loose of their concerns and focus on an objective. It is impossible to think about the past and focus on an objective in the future at the same time.
The confidence and focus that golf requires is returned three fold to the golfer and Veteran. Like Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13, I do not regard as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. This is a message that both the golfer and the Veteran can learn and benefit from to improve their game and life overtime. We also know that a man or women is not an island to themselves, but need to be involve with a challenge and purpose.
In two sections in my book, The ESPY Golf Swing Coach, I point out that golf is a great opportunity to honor, challenge, and help our Veterans at the same time. This offers them an opportunity to effectively deal with their issues, without the barriers they usually are faced with on their own. It is amazing how a cup of coffee and a round of golf can accomplish in one’s life. If you are playing golf with a Veteran who is a beginner, play a two-man or four-man scramble format, as this is a great way to develop a new golfer and, more importantly develop a friendship.
The following are the two sections from my book:
11.2 Return the favor to others, once you get proficient implementing the ESPY Golf Swing. Take an opportunity to build their game, especially young players and veterans. Take someone who is struggling with their golf game, or life, and introduce them to the fundamentals of the ESPY Golf elements. This is a great platform to build confidence, faith, and consistency in their golf game and their life. The golf environment provides a therapeutic component, as well as a chance to enjoy God’s creation and develop friendships with others.
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.
Make the month of November Veterans Appreciation Month, and play golf with a Veteran. You be surprised with what can be accomplished and what you will learn during a round of golf. I had the pleasure of meeting a P.O.W. Vietnam Veteran while I was at the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Country Club. I met Colonel George Robert Hall who was held for seven-and-a-half years at the Hanoi Hilton and he explained to me how he used golf to survive his ordeal. Please see his story and my interview with Col. Hall at the following link: http://goo.gl/24lFvo.
Purchase your copy of The ESPY Golf Swing Coach to improve your golf swing and game:
By: The QATSPY Golf Approach
Charles W. Boatright
Madison, MS
1-888-514-1228
The ESPY Golf Swing Coach:
Paperback $15.75
E-Book $8.99
Hardbacks, signed if desired, are also available
Purchase a copy of The ESPY Golf Swing Coach on my website, www.espygolfapp.com/store OR at your local bookstore.
You may also purchase my book from one of the following retailers:
Lulu Publishing: The ESPY Golf Swing Coach, Charles W. Boatright
Amazon.com: www.amazon.com/The-Espy-Golf-Swing-Coach/product-reviews/1483416356
Barnes & Noble.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-espy-golf-swing-coach-charles-w-boatright/1120604749
Check out my full library of QATSPY GOLF BLOGS @ www.espygolfapp.com/blog
Facebook – The QATSPY Golf Approach
Google+ – ESPY Golf Swing Coach
YouTube – ESPY Golf Swing Coach
Once you learn WHY, you don’t forget HOW!
YouTube Videos:
https://youtu.be/ZGVNrIw_wlo (Cam & cam-over elements)
https://youtu.be/K2FDHZ3AX9w (Figuring your proper swing plane)
https://youtu.be/TO82PMO6G8M (Developing muscle memory)
You can make a difference for yourself and your kids by placing a golf club and a copy of my book into their hands. You will never look back, only forward. You should not miss this opportunity for yourself and/or your kids.
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, out of Little Rock, AR. They air a golf show called “Arkansas Fairways and Greens,” at 7:00am CST on Saturday mornings. It is hosted by Bob Steel and Jay Fox. Bob occasionally has on his show a guest named Shawn Humphries, a Professional Golf Instructor from Dallas, TX. One thing that Mr. Humphries stresses is the mental part of golf, not focusing on the results but the process.
Until next time– Be Synced, Tee-to-Green, with The ESPY Golf Swing!