Fred Hinkle '23 Recruiting Profile

On the toes of my golf shoes, I have an acronym that I read in my head every time I stand up to a golf ball: "G S P B P A B." My uncle, who is a golf pro, wrote up some notes for me a year or so ago when he came to Texas from South Dakota to give me some lessons. In those notes, he detailed Ben Hogan's Five Fundamentals: Grip, Stance, Posture, Ball Position, Alignment, Balance. They have become my guiding principles every time I play golf. 

The only fundamental that is missing, the one I have to add in over and over again, is patience. This skill comes and goes but for me is always necessary. As I grow with all things in my life, not just golf, this guiding principle is the one that gives me the most wins. When I get frustrated with my schoolwork and feel not good enough at things like algebra and physics, I stop and tell myself to be patient. When I am patient, I make better decisions, like scheduling my tutor or talking through my irritations with my mom. When I feel isolated or "left out" from friends or family, I tell myself to be patient. When I do this, I can consider that maybe it's not all about me; maybe the people in my life just have things going on that are stressing them out or taking up their time. When I slice a golf ball over and over, I tell myself to be patient. I take a break, I get a Gatorade, I stretch my shoulders, and I text a friend. And then I stand back up to the ball and try again. "I just have to be patient with it," I said recently to my mom when she noticed I had the word written on the back of my golf shoes. When I want to quit - on anything, not just golf - and I ask God for some guidance, this is the word I hear. And so, it is my guiding principle. 

I will need this skill at least one billion more times in my life. I will need to call on my reserves of patience as I play for a college team and become a part of a new family that counts on me -- and my patience. And above all, I will need it to grow into a steady, calm, powerful-under-pressure man and leader. 

G S P B P A P. And P.

Freddy Hinkle