Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-10
IS GOLF A GAME OR MEDICINE?
Books Are Intended Only for Those Who Take 1t as
Prescription The Rest Pursue the Immoral Pill
for the Fun There Is in the Sport
BY WALTER PRIcHARD EATON

TIM GETTING a bit weary OF the bunk
i that is written about the game of golf
Golf is a fine game; nobody enjoys 1t more
or has more respect for 1t than have MY
wife is as desolate a golf widow from May
to November as exists in the land. am sec
retary of my club and also the club handi-
capper and so per cent of the Greens Com
mittee; In other words the club doormat
Golf takes up more of my time than 1 can
afford to give 1t, and I'm one of those bugs
who puts himself to sleep planning out how
it will be possible for him the next day to
do the course in even fours.
Nevertheless ! believe that about nine
tenths of the stuff written about the game
is blither.
Somebody has written a whole book called
"The Mystery of Golf" This book which
was first issued in special edition of
moderate size, was later expanded by It's
author into a profound treatise on psychol-
ogy, birth control, international law, differ
ental calculus and applied agriculture and
put on the general market
Bunk About Golf Mystery
Now, there Isn't any particular mystery to
golf, any more than there is to hitting
baseball, driving q nail or buttoning your
boots. If you had never buttoned your boots
before you'd take an hour more to get
the job done, no doubt. Simply your muscles
have acquired the boot buttoning habit. If
you had never driven nail in your life you
you wouldn't laugh so much when you saw
your wife trying to perform the feat. If you
had never faced a pitcher it is doubtful If
you'd line out two-bagger over second. 1t
is doubtful If you do. anyway!
All golf consists Of when you come to think
q haII with pl in a.
ite direction with the greatest percentage of
clean shots. The kind of shots vary. from
the long drive or the pitch and putt but
the fact remains that the object is to propel
ball by hitting 1t with a club to definite
place.
That is also tennis and baseball, and bill
llards, and squash, and even driving nails.
Difference Between You and Ty Cobb
Now between two men of equal age and
with the same degree of practice there Will
exist a tremendous difference in ability to
hit a baseball. One man fans four times
out of five, Ty Cobb hits the ball with per-
feet confidence four times out OF five, and
half of those times puts it where he wants
to put 1t for a safe hit In tennis the diff
ference between you or me and Billie Larned
or r, Norris Williams I'd. isn't that we can't
we do hit It. but that they can hit 1t fair
more or less every time and put 1t where they
want to put It,
| But do We therefore, make a mystery
out of baseball or of tennis and write pom
derous tones of pseudo-psychology and mag
azine articles full OF subtle analysis? We
| certainly do not. We simply admit that Ty
| Cobb has got a better batting eye than we
| have, that Billie Lafned is better tennis
| player, and senslbly let 1t go at that
have played golf since 1896 have played
tennis since 1 was old enough to look over
the net instead of through It, I have played
football and baseball, squash and billiards,
handball and tiddledywinks I never was
dub" at any OF these games nor was I
ever champion. I've always trotted along
somewhere in Glass Cor C II the field was
fast), and the reason ls that my body and
brain are built in such way that they are
capable OF just such degree of muscular
coordination and no more.
don't say I wasn't better at some games
than at others, Questions OF speed. en-
durance. even tsmpsFaments. enter IN. OF
course. I had a roommate once who could
trim the life out OF me at tennis while l
could trim him at golf To equalize our win
nings we had TO resort to squash. But even
| IN that case habit was an important factor
He learned tennis when young BY playing
with experts. and a fine stroke was ingrained
in his muscles. On the other hand, learned
golf under better auspices and got the or
thodox swing habituated Squash We took
up together and, being about equal In natu-
raj speed ana athletic knack. We played II
on even terms.
How Boys Become Experts
] : s-s..a fa.-s. a.
sters 70 play golf Both of them are nov
ranking players ana have won big tourna.
ments. One "a fact. ls 4 dangerous com
-.&ft..- i. na ffanaH events Esn4 hafaaa ! tAa