Golf is a sport that requires accuracy, precision and above all, focus. Some say the game is 90% mental. Mackenzie McRee, a junior studying engineering, is no stranger to the mental toughness the sport requires.
McRee began playing golf when she was five, growing up in Tucson, Arizona.
She said it was her dad who encouraged her to play, starting on plastic clubs and then moving up to play tournaments at 10 years old. Despite her dad only playing recreationally, McRee said his motivation was quality family time.
“He wanted it to be a thing our whole family could do,” she said.
Once high school rolled around, McRee said she knew she wanted to take golf seriously and aim to play the sport at a collegiate level. She was an individual state champion in her freshman and senior years and was nominated as the team’s MVP.
McRee said it was her coaches who recognized her talents and encouraged her to start thinking about golf at the next level. Additionally, her desire to explore other places propelled her to apply to schools.
“I realized too (that) I wanted to get out of Arizona, and this (was) a way that I can get my school paid for and go somewhere else,” she said. “That kind of pushed me.”
McRee said her journey to Ohio University was unique in the sense her dad is an alumnus and is originally from Cleveland. A lot of her family still resides in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which helped make the move from Arizona to Ohio a little easier.
McRee admitted the move was hard at first, but the team’s friendliness and vivacity helped to make her feel at home quickly.
“It’s like a group of people that I can always fall back on,” she said. “I talk to any one of them about anything. It just makes it so much better.”
McRee said the team members also help build one another up when they’re out on the green, encouraging each other to stay focused – one of the hardest parts about the game.
“A lot of people think that it’s just not that hard, but then once they’re actually out there and trying to swing, trying to make contact with the ball, they realize it’s a lot harder than you think,” McRee said.
She said nobody is immune to occasionally making mistakes and it’s merely a part of the game.
“We play every day … and we still have shots that we shank it up into the trees every once in a while,” she said.
McRee needs to be focused for a long time, with most of her tournaments being multiple-day events. She said the team usually does 36 holes on the first day and 18 holes on the second day.
“Each round takes five to six hours,” she said. “The 36-hole days, we’re out there for 12 hours. It’s so draining.”
McRee said she has her own habits that help her play better as well as stay focused. One of her main ones is to play fast because, according to her, if she slows down, there is more room for overthinking.
“I kind of just walk up and hit it and don’t think,” she said. “It works for me.”
McRee might be on to something as this fall has been her best season. She was named Mid-American Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week Oct. 4 after walking away from the Rocket Classic Invitational as the individual champion. McRee beat out 58 other golfers with two birdies in the first round, followed by three in both the second and third rounds.
The team would place second at the Bronco Fall Classic Oct. 7-8. McRee finished the three rounds with scores of 77, 75 and 84. Additionally, McRee led the Bobcats with a tie for fourth place at the Dayton Flyer Invitational Oct. 21-22.
Looking forward, McRee said she is excited to see what the future holds and credits her success to her team and its connection. Her advice to any athlete is to view the brain as an asset, not a hindrance.
“The mental part too is a huge part of it,” McRee said. “A lot of people say the six inches between your ears is really the hardest part of the game because whatever you think mentally is what’s just going to happen and how you’re going to play.”
