Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-09

The term mental science" as applied
to golf was given me the other day by
we'll known golfer who asked for COM
ment- We'll, just what do you mean?
I said. Why" he replied, tell of the
shots which are missed because the golf
er has it in mind that he is going to miss
them. and also of the successes which
come to him who is confident of his
game" writes John G. Anderson in the
New York Sun.
There is nothing, of course, novel in the
idea that the mental part of the game is
quite, if not wholly, important Ones
mental set seems to grow in impor-
lance with the years. because golf never
seems to become easier. The better one
plays the more clubs. it seems. are put in
the bag, each one with definite act to
perform when the time arrives. and with
each club there is present a slightly diff
ferent mental state. it all depending upon
the excellence of the shots which have
been made in the past by the wielder.
Ones golf1ng past is more often than
not irrevocably bound up in ones golfing
present. The thought of missed putt
on the previous day adds 10 per cent more
of a mental chance that the putt will
be missed on the next day when the same
shot comes again On the other hand,
shot. say out of a bunker, which has
been made at a very critical period in
match and carried to a successful conclu-
sion, is the tonic which gives a wonder
full confidence and almost, we might say,
1nsures complete success on future shots
of this character. This is one reason
why crack golfers, called, retain their
skill from day to day. 1t is a reason. of
course, why poor players do not improve
with rapidity: both players. good and
poor, are the prey of their past perform
ances mentally. The crack golfer thinks
those good shots which he has made he
can do again. The poor golfer thinks-in
fact, is forced to think-that his good
shots are the exception to the rule and
as a result he fails tay after day.
Vacant Mind Helpful.
We have been told by some of the
great golfers of the world that there is
much to be gained from having what is
termed a vacant mind" but there is
not one in ten thousand who can so
control his mind in a way which makes
this possible. This theory of a vacant
mind was mentioned first by ]. H. Tay-
Tor, hve times open champion of Great
Britain. and coming from his pen it
received much attention. Yet there is
no one who will doubt that John Henry
Taylor is the most human of all the
. d
He is downcast at a poor stroke, and
highly elated at one which is brilliant.
but he made this remark as to the
value of a vacant mind" just after he
had won the open championship at
Deal in 1909, when his poise all through
the tournament was commented on by
the critics of the play.
1t seemed that for that championship
week Taylor was without nerves, but
as a matter of fact, as he himself
states, he was better able to conceal
them than at any other time in his
career, and his confidence in his ability
to perform great deeds upon the links
grew in proportion of his knowledge
of his own ability to master his Utmost
feelings His natural condition during
that championship was well nigh per-
feet, and he himself was led to believe,
because there seemed to be no foreign
elements entering into his mind. that
he had in reality vacant mind i. e.,
there was nothing which took his mind
OF the playing of the different strokes
1t is a singular thing that 1t is more
often than not possible for a golfer to
perfect shot just as he has missed on
his first trial. This is particularly true
of putting and may be due to a num-
Der of causes, of course. but two in
particular. 1t may be that the golfer
has taken account of the line of the
putt on the way to the hole. and on his
second attempt gauges the strength
and the angle with a greater tendency
of accuracy, but in my own humble
opinion the success on the second trial
is due as much to the mental side of
the stroke. There is less tenseness:
there Is more confidence. In fact, there
is a surety of feeling and belief in
ones ability. and this confidence and
belief in ones goif1ng power is what
helps to reduce handicaps