New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-13

he GenllefnhHlg 'Dbhei h'PN'
with the announcement that he had
number of questions TO ask.
'Fire away" we remarked.
TELL me this" he said. "Chick Evans
has practised putting for hours, days,
weeks, months and years at time. Yet
puttine has been the weakest part OF
his game. He has never practised driv-
ing 10 minutes, he says, yet he is a
most accurate driver and long hitter.
Why is it, If practice means 80 much
as every one advises. that Evans isn't
a wonderful putter and poor driverT'
While we were bordering this com
plex query the Gentlemanly Duffer in
terjectcd with this:
you might answer these two queries
together. Here is the other. OF late
wears Jerry Travers has spent more
time working his drive than anything
else. lie has given no great time 10
putting. Yet he is still wonderful
nutter and a somewhat erratic driver
What, if any. is the answer?
Knack and Practice.
The answer is that Individual prob
lens in golf are beyond our earnest
range.
Evans picked up the knack Of driving
when he was a kid, had confidence in
his stroke, and so required no practice.
On the other hand Evans started
putting on slow greens with a mid
iron, lost his confidence when he hit
fast greens and had to use "a putter
and constant practice failed 10 help be-
cause his trouble was psychological, not
physical.
Travers learned TO putt carly. de-
veloped confidence with this club. and
so had no mental worries attached
when he picked it up.
He developed a bad fault of changing
his swing. shoulder high in driving
lost his confidence in the driver, and
this worked against his success from
the tee.
For the Average.
Golf problems must be worked out
for the general average, not fer the in
divdual. Ted Ray can sway all over
tee and still hit one down the mid
die. But 900 golfers out of 1000 with
the same swing would wear out three
niblicks a round.
One Of the best professional golfers
we know of never practised 10 minutes
in his life-that is, actual practice not
involved in playing around. He picked
up the game when a kid in Scotland. SO
his case is not one 10 follow.
Confidence and Such.
Judging from the above" continued
the Gentlemanly Duffer, you would
say that confidence in a club is big
part of the game. Then explain this
!. and many others that know, have
gone out frequently when we had full
confidence in our game and were sure
of good scores. Yet we played misera
bly, On other days we have gone out
when we had no confidence in any club
yet everything seemed to be easy and
each shot came OF much better thar
our normal game. Why is that"
We began TO have brief, but strong
inward bunch that our afternoon wa;
going to be a total loss.
We had only this answer: Conf
dence in club counts on the average
not for individual instances. Golf
more than any other game, is n matter
Of one days or one weeks mental atti-
tude. OF a sudden. for no apparent
reason, one is on ones best game. or I
sudden. for no apparent reason, one is
off Why? The player is in gooC
health. has been playing good golf
conditions are all favorable and ye'
he can't hit a shot. Why again? Be
cause his mental attitude for the day
is all awry. out of gear OF out Of
focus. There is no coordination nc
tween his mind and his muscle. As ole
Don Marquis has said. mind is super
Tor 10 matter-when there Is nothing
the matter
But II the proper coordination be.
tween brain and muscle is lacking, nc
living man can haul it together again
under fire.
Fighting Against Fate.
"When am playing good golf,
Francis 0uimet once told US, 81 am
getting results without effort. | AN
at my ease. But when have to fieht
for my scores. when ! have 20 work "a
get going. the harder ! work the more
likely | am TO get worse Off"
This is true Of the grand average. a.
well as of the individual. You car
force faster pace in tennis: you can
force greater speed in baseball: you
can force extra power in football-but
in golf, when the big test comes. you
have either got it or, in the main. you