The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-06-13
VIM. J. Travis, Metropolitan
Champ, Says Many Matches
Are Lost on Green.
PROFITED BY PRACTICE
Marvellous Skill at Making the Cup
Landed the Title for Fifty-Five-
Year-Old Veteran.

New York, June liability to putt
that's the secret of golf success say:
William ]. Travis, the wonderful ole
man of the links. who. at the age of 81
met field of more than 100 of the great
est golfers in the East, and putted his
way TO the Metropolitan golfing cham.
pionship of 1915.
Travis not even considered as an out
slider when the recent tournament be-
-an. beat every opponent that was pitted
AGAINST hin,-and beat every one in a de-
cisive way.
Golf matches are won and lost on the
,utting green said Travis Il learned
that many years ago. And so 1 decided
10 perfect my putting. I practiced driv-
ing. Of course. but l gave most OF my
time to putting. l putted from every
conceivable angle and distance that was
POSSIBLE and because practice makes
perfect I believe that l became quite
Proficient in putting.
II was marvellous putting skill that
won the championship for this 55-year
old veteran. He's small in size and frail
in build Practically every one OF the
men he battIed against outdrove him
from ten to fifty yards. But Travis
never worried over that handicap. He
knew that the final issue would be
fought out on the greenland it was on
the green that he won all of his matches.
Strange as il may seem, golfers are
more liable to miss a two or five yard
uutt than they are to miss a longer one.
said Travis That's because the short
vutt looks easy. They rarely practice
the short puts They always are prac-
ticing the long and difficult ones. But
oftentimes its the short puts that lose
the game for them.
Several times during the Metropoli-
tan it looked bad for me. Sometimes my
opponent was one stroke to the good on
the green because of superior driving.
and it seemed as if / was sure to lose the
hole But on most of those occasions
my rivals fooled on an easy putt. 1t
seemed to easy-and they missed
Travis, on the green. seems to have no
more nerves than a machine Nothing
1psets him. He is cool confident, uner-
ring The slightest twist or a false
movement would mean defeat for him.
But Travis. through the years. has
schooled himself to meet Just such con-
iitions. and Travis is the master of him
self and the master of every nerve in
his body when the time comes for him
Travis driving is beautiful to watch.
The grand old man of the links can't get
the terrific force into his swing as do his
younger and heavier foes, but Travis
timing is perfect and his swing is per-
feet. It's been so long since Travis
topped" drive or made a bad slice
that the oldest inhabitants have forgot
ten about it.
Travis. in putting. uses some of the
heaviest irons ever seen on the links.
Ills mashies are peculiarly shaped. re-
scmbling a fish hook TO a certain ex-
tent. and his drivers have big knots
along the shafts instead of being smooth
rs are most other drivers
My clubs look sort of funny to 9TH
'rs. hut they look ali right to me-" said
Travis. in explanation. The knots on
~" drivers enable me to get A better
o ri7. The mashies serve their purpose
oil. and I find that heavy putter is
tier. for my work. than a light one"
Travis victory in the Metropolitan
.ros him that championship for the
'urth time. He won in 1900 when he was
- mere child" of - repeated in 1902
81 in 1904 and again this year
Travis has held the national champion
VA and i'm 1904 went 10 Sandwich. Eng
- and won the amateur champion
- there
How much longer do you expect to
~ in EolnnE Championships Travis
as asked.
IhatS hard to say. answered Travis. |
tn ono OF his rare smiles. It's saio
nat golf is old mans game. I'm just
VoGi.g fellow now. and because l like
-" came, and the spirit of contest, | |
'e-s I'll continue to hattie for medals !
. II things like that until l get to be an
0 = fellow =