Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-21
GOLF PUTTING AND PUNCHING
Former System John s,iFh relieves, Will
Win Where Other Fails
He SAYS IT is 100 LuTLE PRAcrctO
Il. IL spraEue Banks his Money
on the Man who Can
send the Bail the
Fnrthest.

More games Of golf are lost because of
poor putting than In any other way said
John Parish TO a group in the Field club
buffet the other day after a hard match
in which he had lost because he had
missed a two-foot putt. In spite OF this
fact the average golfer who has attained
respectable mediocrity and who repre-
sents the majority Of golf clubdom refuses
to regard putting as a serious part Of the
game. He has heard II until he may be-
lieve It, but still does not practice putting
as he should. A ball may lip hole four
or five times and bob out again, but II the
ball had been aimed at the mouth of the
hole no legitimate rub or hazard of any
green roughed by nature or designed by
man would have awaited against the force
Of gravity. The increased residence of
the modern ball ought TO have improved
the standard of putting by teaching how
dangerous II is to go for anything but
the mathematical center Of the circle, but
it has rather increased the number Of
players who delight in telling of their
bad luck rather than in practicing up and
putting the ball in the hole. When q man
misses a putt persistently by yard he,
of course, realizes his card or his match
suffers thereby but even then he fails to
perceive the thing ought not to be. But
leaving out of the question any specially
difficult green (of which each course will
have one or two) It is preposterous that a
player should require thirty-six puts in
the round from a distance of six feet OF
less from the hole.
Bad view of Driving.
1T may be that the low standard OF
putting which obtains among golfers of
medium skill and the reprehensible COM
placence with which they accept their
lack of ability are both due to the un-
warranted view which they take of driv-
ing These are satisfied to get on the tee
on the approach and brag they are play
ing good game, but the experience of
days and weeks should teach that the
hole Is not necessarily won when a player
has outdriven his opponent. A drive of
$50 feet may be made worthless by miss
ing putt of two feet, but it requires
lot of foozles to detract from the value
of good putt. Many believe that more
attention should be paid to putting, but
do not practice"
Give me the man with the punch
said e, H. Sprague, chairman OF the golf
committee at the Country club. ITS all
right about being a good putter, but the
man who can so the distance and is up on
the proper number of strokes will win in
the long run. Who can drive farther than
Chandler Egan, who Is in a class by him
self? Travis is the next best man in the
country and he gets them along on the
drive, too. TEey used to say Just let me
get it $50 or 175 yards straight down the
course on the first drive and will do the
rest There is nothing to that now. The
game has changed and the new balls make
1t necessary that a man must send 1t
along If he wants to win. The balls are
better and travel farther. My money on
man who can drive the farthest.
Sprague Abbott is the longest driver out
to our club and he wins"
Eyes, but Abbotts strong game is on his
deadly approaches, which put him nicely
in putting distance" added another golf
fan.
Field Club Handicap List.
Chairman James Allen Of the sports and
pastimes committee OF the Omaha Field
| club has prepared the list of handicaps for
| the month of May OF the golf playing
members Of the Field club, Others desiring
handicaps should write to Mr. Allen and
handicaDs will be made Those bapdica ne