New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-15
GOLF AND CUBISM
An Inverted Gnpper Refuses To Be
Confuted.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Did you see him do III Your golf
editor, mean. He walked into the bunker
had diggcd for him with the easy lope Of a
brand new Silver King losing itself in the
rough. love that man; he is so urbane
and so pathetically wrong headed. He
waggles true to form in his editorial on
THE Cubist Golfer" approaches the green
in two, with his wonted expcrtness, and,
trying to carrom off me, almost makes the
hole in three. But Of course ! had him
stymied.
Golf, | repeat, is an art But that's just
what Cubism isn't.
Let him digest that historic truth.
To put my game alongside the Nude De-
scendng a Staircase" is TO obscure the
eternal distinction between methods and re-
suits. Perpend II is demonstrable that a
masterpiece in the shape Of golf shot
the top notch in distance and direction -
may be produced with an inverted grip.
Moi qui vous psrle-but ! will not brag.
Now Velasquez, Whistler and others have
used brushes incredibly long. brushes prac-
tically impossible for many of their fellows.
Pinturichio enhanced the beauty of his
paintings by executing some of the details in
relief and gliding them. Unincumbered
artists. ancient and modern, have played I'M
numbered tricks with their craft But they
have not violated its essential integrity.
What they have always insisted upon doing,
regardless of kinks in their processes, has
been to achieve work Of art within the
strict meaning Of the term. And that is ex-
actly what the inverted gripper does.
He ignores the rules, the standardized,
rigidly formulated rules, the castiron stance,
the rubber hose waggle-but he is as faith
full as old Ponto to the cardinal aim of hit
ting the ball and hitting it straight. Thus
does he remain an artist. Thus is he, Also
mindful of the fundamental function of true
technique. which is to act as means to
an end.
The proper antithesis to your dear old
chap with his artless faith in the rules is
unauestionably a player like myself, VINO
iuggles with technique, and IL he could sue
cessfully pick a flaw in my hypothesis
would gladly rush of to get fitted with
sheet and candle and abase myself before
him. But I've got him on toast when ne
thinks to floor me by dragging in so irrele-
want a tyne as the fabricator OF the Nude
Descending a Staircase" II doesn't matter
ow the latter holds his brush. whether be-
tween his teeth or in a foot. II doesn't mat
ter if he paints" on canvas or on baroeo
wire fence, whether he uses pigment or coal
dust. He doesn't get anywhere that con-
Germs us. He doesn't produce work OF
art. He hasn't anything to do with what we
are talking about. II when / played goif
used my inverted grip for the purpose OF
setting the ball to music, in a lace collar.
YOU might use your deadly parallel OF
Cubism. But if, as I've said before, play
IN. game. the only thing that | can see left
Tor eur oracular friend to do is to follow
IN. example of Abner Dean Of Angels
So much for Buckingham.
But, seriously, / hate to see golfer OF
such obvious potentialities going so uncon-
sciously to his doom. II he would only try
the inverted grip! ~ -
Lake George, July IL. 1916.