Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-09-03
GOLF GOSSIP
sy STEVEN ARMSTRONG.

irrespective of age. Also no doubt
many a professional If he be proper
painstaking man will spare some of his
time to giving helpful advice to some
Of the senior caddies who may be plan
ming to take up golf as living. or
course every professional worthy Of
his calling will help his young assis-
tafits to develop their game. But how
many who will spare time to turn
their assistants into good club-makers
and fine golfers ever realize that II the
latter are going to take up positions
as professional instructors, that ii is
just as important that their masters
should train the young idea how to
.each. ...s- ...... H..
Here Is a message from a famous
teacher to his brother professionals in
regard to this matter, and can
add a personal note, as ] too was
handicapped from having taken les
sons when of my game from a young
professional of the swing like-me"
type, an experience it took me several
years to recover from In regard to
wooden clubs. T.:
May the professionals in this coun-
try then listen to what one Of their
number. George A. Philpot says In the
World of Golf:
One of the perennial problems of
the golf professional is that of sifc-
cessfully teaching the game. 1t Is
also, perhaps, more than anything else,
his primary duty; and by the visible
results he achieves he is, to large
extent, judged. Many are the golf
professionals who are good players
but Indifferent teachers, and though
such men may come In for good deal
of praise when appearing in competi-
tons and tournaments, yet among the
members of their own club they are
held In nothing like so much esteem
80 the professional who, while not q
brilliant performer in big tournaments,
is, nevertheless. consummately capa-
bic man in the more useful art Of
teaching the game. / know there are
golfers here and there who yehementlv
allege that the professional is no good
70 he cannot put the excellent advice
OF his own teaching into actual opera
ton in his own game, but such con-
clusion is only arrived at through a
false nremise, namely, that no person
should teach others unless he himself
infallibly carries out his own instruc-
ton.
Clearly AZ golf nobody, not even its
ablest exponents, plays every stroke
perfectly, hut surely this is not valid
reason for the abstention of everyone
from teaching nothing more illogical
has ever been propounded. Under GER
tain circumstances thoroughly bad
player may conceivably be thorough
" good teacher, and undoubtedly a
really good player. may possibly be a
most Indifferent teacher. Let this ar
gument be proved false and the ordi-
nary rank-and-file professional might
as well quit the profession. Having.
then, dealt with what Is regarded as
a considerable objection to the teach.
ing of the average professional, let me
touch upon a far more difficult part
OF the problem, that of the methods
professionals employ in teaching. Here
is a thorny subject upon which d.
versity of opinions exist. Ask hum
dred professionals what, in their judg-
ment. is the most correct method OF
teaching and guarantee that you will
get q hundred different aanswers--each
one. be 1t noted, the honest and ma
tllre opinion OF the giver. 1t is this
very diversity that makes the pupils
task almost as onerous as that OF the
Instructor. II the former takes les
sons from more than one professional
he ID quite likely to be told to do
things almost entirely opposite to
those proposed by his first adviser.
I should like to point out to those OF
my readers who are professional golf
ers that am not arguing that divers
ity of methods in teaching is avoid
able. ] am simply stating that the d.
Tersity exists. More than once in the
past have brought criticism on my
self through being misjudged in this
way. / quite agree with the pronounce
ment Of one or two really great teach.
ers of golf, that It is well nigh i'm
possible to lay down categorical rules
for teaching, and the writer, could he
do so, would certainly not Still the
problem remains ana must therefore
be discussed Only the other day a
friend of mine asked me very knotty
question which will serve to partly IL
lustrate one of the dificulties. of teach
ing. Being of his game'-not abso-
lutely, but just enough to spoil his fun
--he went to professional, q pains.
taking, but "swing-like-me" instructor,
who started to violently alter his pupils
grip, stance, back swing, finish. etc,
with the result that at the conclusion
of the lesson he was in = very unsatis-
factor state. Another professional,
whose method of teaching was to de-
velop the players natural swing sub
sequently put my friend right, much to
his relief
Another error that some of us fall
into in teaching Is to preach the old,
copy book platitudes, unrelieved by any
thing like an illustration, analogy or
epigram. Lessons in which the mentor
merely reiterates such sayings as
Keep your eye on the ball. Don't
drop your right shoulder" Follow
through" and use your wrists while
true and essential enough in them
selves, become rather dreary and MOI
notonous to d pupil, unless alternated
with something not quite so hack.
neyed. To make ones tuition inter.
ocfino ic Iannt,oef fnr O hiv ono of the