Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-12-08
DON'T0YERDO SPORT At FIRST,
ADVICE OF CHRISTY MATHEWSON

II NOT az old mans game. IL
is true rh"i ihr "\"rt.un attached TO
4; i NJ "\hI'~;ug. but II requires
4 man IN pretty good shape to tramp
owe" t;GLrt,n or perhaps thirty-siX
holes I'll rolt IN - day Coli Is also
a TOME Iur I've u"Tjes. since steady
NERVE rluat be Developed to play
goCd shot. especially a putt or an
approach. which require accuracy.
The Crarks on the Links.
Before became fond % the game,
| used to think that one Of the faults
10 re found with il was that the play
prs were always going over the course
a second time when they got into the
clubhouse: in other words, that they
never stopped talking about il. This
is also true Of poker. But ! find that
j. a game we'll worth talking about.
II must tie carefully studied and
player must develop 4 form before ne
can become a fair performer
One mistake many beginners make,
however. is that they pay too much
attention to the small details in form
at first The experiences OF a begin
ner are still fresh in my mind. l am
net sure | am entirely cured now.
was inclined to do this myself De-
cause there are certain cralkS on
form in the game of golf as In every
other game. A friend OF mine started
to play it on the public links near
New York one summer, and was get.
ting along very well, when one OF
these form cranks got hold of him
and offered to play a round. My
H. Hnn
tee and got his driver out OF the bag.
stop! For heavens sake, stopE
cried the crank as the friend address
ed the ball.
whats the natter" he asked anx.
iously.
Gave Up Game in Disgust.
The adviser had walled so loud and
so mournfully that the friend thought
word of a death in the family had
Just reached him.
In the first place." said the crank,
"the thumb of your left hand is TOO
far down on the club and your right
tee is too near the ball: and you
should use an iron for the shot on
this tee instead of your driyer-and
YOU are all wrong, anyway.
We'll. this friend of mine played
couple of holes with the crank, ana
then became so disguised with him
self and his work that he picked up
his bali and loft the golf links hat,
! He broke up his clubs and has never
| touched one since.
81 don't want to bother with
game that turns out nuts like that tel
low" he told me afterward. i might
get that way myself. You can't tell.
! I'll take no chances"
Don't let one of these cranks ais
courage you. My advice Is to keep
as far away as possible from exposing
| Yourself to them when you are be.
ginning and susceptible.
Practise Putting First.
Perhaps a greater number or per-
sons would get the benefits from goiL
| if they had a more concrete IDEA OF
how to go about taking 1t up. Inc
ordinary convert becomes one pc
cause some friend devoted to tpe
game asks him out to the links with
him Then he likes the taste and be-
gins to play on public links, IL ne
is fortunate enough to live near any.
The average beginner Will STRAIN
To become SOOQ ullNCi
to my notion, is the wrong emu
which to start. although went al -
myself from this direction. The ex-
planation of this probably Is that "
feels so good to make long drive.
But a messed up drive can be recoy.
cred and made up for. while a missed
putt or a bad approach has lost many
mtach. Therefore, | would recon-
mend to the beginner that ne prac-
tise the short game as muen as pc,
sihle the approach and putting, X
man lives in the country or even IN
the suburbs of a great city he can
often do this at home by sinking =
flower pot in his backyard and smooth.
ing out the ground around 1t so that
he has some OF the conditions OF the
ordinary green. Then he can 90 nls
driving when he goes out 10 INC
links.
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