By: Charles W. Boatright
Moxie is defined as force of character, determination, or nerve.
Moxie is usually reserved as an adjective to describe other sports, like football and baseball, and is not usually used in golf. But there are lots of advantages to using this term in golf. Personally, I had not heard ‘moxie’ used for a long time, until I was listening to The Paul Finebaum Show this week on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. Tom Luginbill used it to describe Sean White, the red- shirt freshman starting quarterback for Auburn against Mississippi State.
Tom Luginbill interviewed this young man at the Under Armour All-American High School Football game last year and was very impressed with Sean’s work ethic and his character to a point that he used the term ‘moxie’ to describe confidence, composure, and performance.
Sean, who has not taken a snap in an actual Collegiate football game, will have an opportunity to prove his skills, character, composure, preparation, and maturity during this Saturday’s game. Most football games are either won or lost in the locker room. Most golfer’s rounds are based on the mental locker room frame of mind, even before the first tee.
The pressure that Sean White will face isn’t much different from golf. The nerves are there, especially on the first tee box. No matter how long you’ve been playing golf, there is a new set of conditions for each round. Our job as golfers is to adjust for the conditions and work toward the objective. One thing that has not changed is the objective to make par or better. Jason Day is an excellent example of this. He always played in the top-20 position in most of his tournaments. Once he got his first win in the Canadian Open, Jason started realizing that he could win tournaments. Jason has not looked back since winning the Canadian Open, leading up to the FedEx Tournament.
The first step in winning is preparation, or the locker room, and how you practice, using fundamentals. I spent seven years taking field notes on my golf game to determine what worked and what did not work. I filled three Xerox boxes full of file notes and information. When you grind through seven years of documentation, one develops a procedure and technique that can hold up under fire. When you start measuring performance, you can start making improvements in your golf game.
Next week, I will blog about my five setup checkpoints and four takeaway checkpoints that I use to develop a consistent golf swing under pressure. The 5-4 MAC allows me to analyze my golf swing in slow motion. I compare the first tee box to public speaking. The main element to use in public speaking is to find a technique to just get started. I call it the “Ice Breaker” because this is what my MAC checkpoints allow me to do in golf — break the ice. ‘Moxie’ is a very important component to have to develop confidence. I’m looking forward to watching how Mr. Sean White does in Saturday’s football game.
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You Tube: https://youtu.be/ZGVNrIw_wlo (Cam & Cam-over Elements)
https://youtu.be/K2FDHZ3AX9w (Figuring your proper swing plane)
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