Evening star., 1915-10-24
MANY. LITTLE SUPERSTITIONS
ARE POPULAR WITH GOLFERS
No Matter How Carefully They Are Nursed
However, They Sometimes Fail to
Produce the Desired Results.

Are. you a superstitious golfer? Be-
fore answering brusquely inNth mega
tive 1t might be well to stop moment
and consider whether there are not
some little motions which are gone
through with before the shot is made,
or some queer PRECAUTIONS which seem
absurd when viewed from pure COM
mon sense attitude, writes John G. An
derson in the New York Sun. But the
fact remains. however, that there are
among the half million to a million
golfers at least third who have some
foible or other which must be attended
to before they feel that they will play
the game as they can and ought. 1t is
easy to mud scores Of examples of a
physical sort, while, the mental side. by
far the greater and more potent. can
be judged quite worthy of remark
through the confession Of some Of the
best golfers.
The championship at Detroit gave a
few illustrations Of what I mean by
superstitiousness in golf. For example.
I had not played over five or six holes
In the semi-final round with Sheriff.
warm and we both took OF our coats.
I noticed that the golf shirt which he
wore was bit soiled owing to his
visiting cross ditch the day before,
and at the conclusion OF the morning
round Sheriff. hustled into his coat as
soon as the last putt was holed. did
not think much about it until late In.
the afternoon, when l overheard
friend say that Sherman had confded
that he had had such good luck with
wearing that shirt that he was afraid
to change 1t, and although extremely
sorry that 1t did not present a sprucer
appearance he was going to win or lose
with that lucky-so 1t seemed-gar-
ment. Little did he suspect that ! had
been the recipient Of lucky penny
that day from another superstitious
golfer and that the latter's charm was
working and had to work almost over
time. as well. to turn the tide OF victory
my way. Still less did Bob Gardner
suspect that was the recipient of
three lucky pennies from friends who
seemed to have implicit faith in their
efficacy. and also a franc bit. which was
guaranteed to get its possessor out of
home the winner of the match. Besides
which. when I unpacked my golf bag at
home In New York found the heaviest
sort Of horseshoe, which doubt not
my caddy had picked up and put there
for luck.
Pestered by Caddies.
final round at Apawamis last spring
with Walter J. Travis. Going toward
the seventh hole saw a group Of fel-
lows seemingly Fostering my caddy and
told them not to molest him. But he
Informed me that II, was all right, that
they had q grasshopper and were try
ing to wish good luck on him supposed
ly by squeezing molasses out OF the
poor hopster. On that and on several
other occasions my caddy refused TO
go to the hole unless It seemed as IL
had q chance to win or halve the hole.
As a rule. caddies are the most super
stitious class connected with the game,
and there can be no doubt that they at
tribute much Of the success and failure
Of their employers to some occult
charm.
Edward Ray. open champion Of Great
Britain in 1912. always is seen playing
with long black pipe in his mouth.
But before he won the championship at
Muirheld II was never remarked that
he always smoked on the links. for as
q matter Of fact he didn't. But while
he was playing his best for the title
that year he was under very nervous