FLEX TIME F O U R D E C A D E S O F F U N DA M E N TA L S
The True Sportsman By Mike Kennedy ’99
AT
THE 1963 Thunderbird
tional book, Five Lessons: The
Classic — a PGA
Modern Fundamentals of Golf, and
Tour event held at
teaching himself the game at the
Westchester Country
Tuxedo Club, in Tuxedo Park, N.Y.
Club — George Boynton stood at
He pounded hundreds of balls
the back of the practice range and
each day — until his hands bled
watched golf legends Jack Nicklaus
and back ached, as Hogan once
and Ben Hogan warm up before
famously said — and then he’d do
their upcoming tournament rounds.
it again the next day, loving every
Nicklaus was impressive, Boynton remembers, striking his irons solidly and having near-perfect control of
minute of the rigid, disciplinary approach to sport. That spring, remarkably, Boynton
his ball flight — although occasion-
lettered on the varsity golf team at
ally hitting one off-target.
Princeton University.
The Golden Bear, seemingly
And since then — and for the
relaxed and at ease, conversed with
majority of his adult life — he’s
his caddie and fellow competitors as
made a living by drilling home the
he prepared for play.
fundamentals in school-aged boys
Hogan, however, was a different animal altogether.
at Brunswick. Boynton arrived on Maher
“He never missed a shot and
Avenue in 1969 to teach history and
hit everything exactly where he
coach soccer and tennis. He started
wanted,” Boynton recalls.
the now nationally recognized
“He didn’t say a word to anyone,
squash program in 1973. And he
finished his practice session, lit a
also served as Head of Lower School
cigarette, and walked to the first tee.
and Dean of Admission in his early
He was on a mission and nobody
years.
was getting in his way.” Boynton, then a 20-year-old
He has razor-sharp memories of those initial days on campus.
rising senior in college, was forever
“When I got here, Brunswick
mesmerized by the nine-time major
was a third-tier school and headed
champion.
for the fourth,” he said. “There
He spent the rest of the summer religiously reading Hogan’s instruc-
50 | TIMES
OF BRUNSWICK • FALL 2015
was no structure and very little organization.”