El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-11
The Proper Way To Learn Golf
Bv P A VALE, Author Of Modem Coli, Modern Tennis etc

would be player at the easiest strokes
and builds up from that ell me
golf drive is the most diffleulL ana
complicated stroke in golf Is II rea-
sonabIe 10 start anyone on it, is
there any member OF the trust WIN
in ear shotgr No. Then let US say
again It is asinine- Now that IS revO-
Iutionary and destructive criticism
We are cutting out q whole heap OF
the golf trusts fun and the would
be golfers aggravation- What have We
Why simply the one and only prop
er way to learn golf FOrset that
there is such a thing as driver Get
your putter and a ball Go out on
to the putting green Put the pan
down six inches from the hole Are
you sure you can put It down with
cut any assistance or INSTRUCTION
Surely you are. Well do so. Try II
again and again and then increase
your distance gradually to two feet
Oh yes. you viii miss some at two
feet, but keep at it. Forget about
that driver for the great conspiracy
IS off. and I may tell you that the
one and only right way to learn golf
is to start with the putter. / didn't
learn It that way Not one In nun
bred has. That doesn't alter the fact
that 1t is the only proper way and
that you will play better II you start
that way than II you don't Probably
IL you have learned golf II would pay
you 10 try it over again for a week
There is an almighty lot to be learned
on the green and everybody ought to
learn it before being allowed liberty
to cut the county into strips
Remember that in starting at the
hole and backing TO the tee. instead
of starting at the tee and hacking 70
the. hole, you learn Two OF tne mos
important things in golf You learn
10 play the ball that lies close TO the
ground with confidence for you don't
come TO the tee until the last thing
and you don't cultivate the fatal habit
OF lifting your eve and with 1t your
head. for starting near the hole you
have no need TO raise your eye as you
can see the ball and the hole at one
and the same time In drlvlnB you
are so anxious TO see your drive that
you look up to see IL before ii is born
and the consequence is that IT is ire
uuently still-born- It wants some NOR
al courage and determination to learn
this way. Try IL, and you'll never re-
greet II
Starting TO learn golf in the proper
way is Of the greatest Importance TO
women. Thousands of women players
are ruined for good and all by being
started with the driver. 1t is bad
enough 10 do this with men, with wom-
en- il is absolutely fatal woman
should not be allowed to handle a
driver until she can count on getting
down in two from any part OF the
green No woman should be lmpa-
tient at the restraint which this I'M
poses. II the game is worth learning
ii is worth learning well and TINS
cannot be done, especially by women,
by starting it at the wrong end
Women are under no disadvantage
as compared with men at and near
the green and il behOOves them 10
make the most Of this. At present
tant point. off the tee a man has, Of
course, a considerable advantage over
a woman but when the length OF the
stroke is something that is easily with
in the compass Of a woman's strength
something that calls mainly for skill
and delicacy Of touch why should the
woman be at a disadvantage AS a
matter Of fact she is not unless she
deliberately puts herself in such po-
sitiOn. She should insist on acquiring
confidence in and command OF the put
ter before she takes up the other clubs.
Once she has this she is always
formidable opponent and it is 1mpos-
sible to exaggerate its moral effect on
her in regard to the rest OF her game
Instead OF going through life with
the feeling that the ball is ones mas
ter and something OF a tyrant one
moves serenely along with the COM
Portable feeling that il is a useful and
accommodating little playmate, which az
all times is ready and willing to do
what II can TO assist in promoting is
friends enjoyment The effect OF feel
ing like this towards the ball, par
ticularly on the green, is Of enormous
practical importance in playing the
game A very famous and skilful golf
er says he hates the idea Of reaching
the green for there he knows his trou-
bles begin. His mind is, therefofs,
proach. and when he gets on the green
X is worse still. He loses more
matches on the green than any other
well-knOwn player.
III. ,-5I,a-7- -. - !. -. a. g.,