The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-10-13
THREE RULES FOR GOLF.
Important Practical Suggestions fos
Amateurs,

Walter Camp in the Century.
A prominent golfer said that there
are three rules which, II followed, will
make any man a fairly average player
ally endowed, will make him a scratch
man. These rules he enunciated as
follows: Keep your eye on the ball
don't press, and the rather slangy but
extremely expressive. BE stuck on
yourself" It Is hardly necessary to ex-
pand upon the first rule. No follower
Of any important championship but has
seen a topped or stubbed shot of the
simplest kind caused by the too early
lifting of his head. cost some man his
chances Of coming through.
The second rule is generally conced-
ed, but 1t is not fully reckoned with by
our amateur. once followed the team
fessionals at Hoylake. In following
was particularly impressed with the
fact that while these men drove clean.
straight balls, they seldom made the
phenomenal drives had seen Black
well, Scott or some Of the other anna
tours achieve; and yet upon several oc-
casions, the professionals would make
tremendous carries on necessary bras
syshots. I talked 1t over with two or
three who seemed In the mood to be
confidential, and I learned that this
was their principle:
when you go up to tee, start the
hole right. You'll always find trouble
enough without inviting 1t. Put the
ball down in the middle a couple of
hundred yards; then you know what
kind OF shot you have. If you get $50
yards you're nearer the hole than usual
and you don't know so much about the
shot. Besides, II you press your ball
1t may run just a bit into the long,
and the 20 or 30 yards greater dis
lance Is too expensive. But when you
have started right, it's all clear sailing.
AS to the long second or third shots.
you can take bigger chance. The trap
or bunker Is only five or six yards. Now
IL you're 200 yards off, and it's going
to save a stroke to carry It, It may be
worth while. II you get the ball just
right, you'll clear it, and If you don't
get 1t cean the chances are that you'll
not get far enough to be in it. and you
will be no worse of than IL you played
short, anyway"
The third rule simply means that
spirit Of confidence which every golfer
recognizes, particularly on the putting
green. There are days when he feels
no trepedition about the short puts,
and the hole looks large to him from
the the days when he can run anything
down. Then comes a day when that
round, inanimate lumpsof rubber seems
endowed with devilish spirit of it's
own. 1t will kick out of the tin If ne
puts strong, will hang on the lip IL he
puts less force in his stroke, will take
a deliberate hurdle Of its own straight
over the cup without so much as
touching. and run with unexplained
force several feet across. Soon the
player begins to miss the little two
foot ones, and he realizes that he has
lost all confidence. saw Mr.. Chandler
Egan on his first appearance in the
intercollegiate, experience this CRED
shyness to an almost unbelievable &C.
gree. Such condition may exten[ to
other shots, but it is upon the putting
green particularly that the INJUNCTION
to BE stuck on yourself" applies.