The sun., 1915-11-15
NO ONE GOLFER LOOMS UP
AS BEST OF 1915 SEASON
Neither of the National Champions Stands Out Head
and Shoulders Above His Fellows-ls There
Too Much Free Hitting?

Walter j. Travis was at his best there
were not as many first class amateur
golfers In the country as there ar" TO-
day and that what the Garden CITY vet
eran did OF old he could not duplicate
now As az answer to that argument.
take Walter j. Travis this season ana
note that he won the metropolitan chanl-
pionship against pretty healthy hcid'
likewise that II was only recently that
he went to Washington. led field OF
i3i IN the qualifying round Of an open
tournament on the Columbia course and
made short shrift OF his opponents in
match play.
IL hardly IN stretching - point to say
that there are in the tinted states to-
day "A dozen first class golfers where
there was one u dozen years ago or
maybe n0re. There are scores Of anna
tours to-day who ON occasions give a
good imitation OF Walter J. Travis.
Jerome -. TraveIs or Francis Duimet
at their best. hut such performances
are spasmodic. one Of these golfers
goes in and downs a champion to-day,
while Tomorrow his slump is pathetic,
az he in turn goes down before tn" next
opponent, az happened 10 Dudley Nudge
AZ Greenwich. Conn., after h" defeated
Francis Ouimet and Max Marstou.
Til. reason Ny belle; IL that a ma
jority of the most shilful young golfers
OF to-day come by their unqucst.oucd
general proficiency through taking mp
golf in their teens and thus acquiring
a correct swing naturally. why they eN.
eel only spasmodically is that thes are
overkeen for free hitting and distance
from the tees. overkeen for competition
and underkeen-if such an expression il
allowable--for putting IN any appreci-
abb. amount OF time overcoming their
weaknesses.
Most good golfers have some weak
ness, II is no secret that jerome y.
Travers has had his troubles trying to
master tho wooden shots. Good golfers
har" been heard time and time again
saying:
I'm off with my midiro. I'm OF
with my maShic | can't putt
DO they set about remedy.ng ia, 80
faults by persistent practice Not 20
any appreciable extent in my knowi-
edge. Walter J. TRAY, became supreme
through persistent practice. During the
national amateur championship Of l?oS
~ Garden city | recall how hc was
seen in the early morning a. the seven
te"nth hol. practising approach after
approa n from points on tn. fai. green
where he knew one OF his second shots
IN a match might normally land. Ia his
calculations probably was the though;
that his match might go as far as the
next 20 last hole and that. in so far as
prtctie' could assure Il. he would bc
80 Wen able to judge his approach shot
a. to CIV" himself a fair chance to 60
down in on" putt. perhaps TO halvr the
hole. perhaps to win 1t.
rher" also was the instance OF l.rIy
Trav.rS a: Garden city IN the cham
pionShip Of 1913. which he Won. His
maShis shot was not working Nrll IN
III" morning round of tight n'3tch.
Instead Of despairing over the situd-
ton, the present national open cham
p.ou weiIt out during the period betw. .n
morning and afternoon play 10 practice
shot after shot with his maSnl". wiin
the result that III The afternoon h.-
cpi'o or this all important club was
~upe h.
Can any golfer mss the moral! Long
hitting H. pleasure. hut 70 should not
h" allowed to become an obs S.,.oa, ana
that IL what IL comes near being to-
day, particularly with the anlateurs.
Jess. Gulford day In and daN out prob
ably * tn" Longest hitter IN the amateur
tanks but h" d!d not win the national
amateur championship on course pre-
emUen'iy for the long hitter There are
plenty % young golfers in the coua,ry
WHO by taking leaf out Of tho TRAY :
cr TraNcrs book viii find themselves .u
Inc for the highest honors that tho
, royal and ancient game can bring.