How Long is Your Quit Line?

This post is rated Sprinters, Olympians and Ironman.

Do you remember the movie, “Tin Cup?” This was the story of a driving range golf pro down on his luck. Kevin Costner plays Roy Mackovoy, a local legend in West Texas who has made one bad decision after another landing him working for his nightclub-owner girlfriend. He spends his days giving lessons at a worn-out driving range. He has so much talent but his reckless behavior has hurt him time and time again. Mackovoy lives his life in daring form never settling for mediocre. He would rather fail miserably than finish second.

It is in this scene, that he gives us one of the greatest moments ever seen in a sports related movie:

Mackavoy hit a perfect drive right down the middle of the fairway. His next shot was 235 yards to the green over a pond directly in front of the green. Against the advice of his caddy, he pulls out his 3 wood and smashes the ball toward the green. The ball sails beautifully through the air and lands squarely on the ground. We see the ball start to back up due to the downward slope in the green and eventually roll into the water. He hit it perfectly and he was convinced that he could do it again. The rules of golf allowed Mackavoy to take a drop much closer the green than where he was hitting this shot. Against all reasonable logic, he insists on hitting the shot exactly from the same spot. He believed in heart he could do it and he was not going to quit until he did or until he ran out of golf balls! It took Mackavoy 6 tries to make it over the water, but on that 6th and final swing the ball went in the hole!

I share this as an inspiration to act upon your beliefs. Do not be influenced by the crowd or your friends or competitors. If you believe in your heart that you have the talent to accomplish anything, then hold onto it no matter what. EXTEND YOUR QUIT LINE, after all if you don’t you become just another face in the crowd.

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

Leave a Reply