Is HEART coachable?

I posted this question on Facebook a few days ago after hearing on Golf Channel how much HEART Keegan Bradley has. Not to say most PGA Tour players don't have heart, but there is something "extra" about Keegan.

I knew him as a junior golfer, while I was working at Framingham CC (outside of Boston) and Keegan's father Mark was a professional at Hopkinton CC. The thing that struck me most about Keegan was his enthusiasm and excitement for wanting to play. He would always play with Jon Curran, Brian Accorsini and Scott Accorsini. His energy for the game was then and is now infectious. You can even see his energy before every shot as he gets ready. As one commentator put it, he looks like a High Jumper ready to explode!

So what is Heart and is it coachable? Heart is having the ability to dig deep and get the job done even if your chips are down. Heart is going the extra mile and pushing yourself back into the game. Heart is going beyond the expectations of others.

So is HEART Coachable? I would say yes. Let's look at HEART from a motivation point of view. There are two basic types of Motivation, Intrinsic and Extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation are your own reasons for doing something. Maybe you want to challenge yourself, continue to get better everyday or get stronger. This person asks the daily question, "What can I do today to get better and closer toward my goal."

Extrinsic motivation are rewards for doing something. Maybe your coach gives you a reward when playing in a tournament or your parents reward you when you practice. This type of motivation comes from other people and not for your own reasons. It can be challenging to "go the extra mile" if you are motivated from someone else.

Not to say that extrinsic motivation is not motivating, it is, but when motivation comes from the individual and not someone else, this could be a pre-curser to HEART.

So how does one learn to have more HEART? Start with all the things you LOVE about your sport. If we use golf in this example, I would say that I love hitting the ball solidly; I love the high flop that drops and stops on the green; I love the comradery when playing with my friends; I love travelling to new places and experiencing their links; I love the nervous feeling I have when stepping up to the first tee; I love the feel of pulling off the impossible recovery shot, etc....I could go on and on. These reasons for loving golf build a pretty powerful belief that golf is fun and a sport that I want to excel at. All the reasons listed give me that intrinsic motivation to want to be the best that I can and never give up on myself.

There is certainly NO formula for coaching someone to have more HEART, but I thought it was an interesting question. I would love to hear your feedback on this topic. Thanks for reading.

Steven