Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

Walter J. Travis. 1t is the general
opinion that he hasn't a nerve in his
body. that nothing upsets him. He has
played in more tournaments thar any
other golfer in America. but for all
that Travis is full of nerves 1t is only
by wonderful powers Of concentration
that he keeps these nerves in cheek.
And he turns the trick In this fashion:
In playing a friendly match. with alb
solutely nothing at stake, Travis plays
as grirly as if the championship OF
He schools himself to concentration
day after day and year after year. and
so, when he enters a tournament. he is
trained in nerve control. But there are
occasions recorded when his nerves,
even under all this schooling, broke
away from his grip and left him as
helpless against the test as others
known to be nervous.
ouadrangular Nerve Test.
One OF the most quadrangular cases
% nerve tests or temperament tests
might be shown in the rivalries OF four
great English golfers-Hilton, Harris.
Ball and the late Freddie TAFT. Harris
is a great golfer, yet he could never
! play his best against Hilton, who bea t
him repeatedly. Hilton is one of the
greatest Of all amateurs. yet he always
found both TAFT and Ball almost irnpos-
Stple 10 UeSt. ldll COuiu uedl Illltoi1,
but he could rarely beat Ball. When
Hilton went against Harris he played
with supreme confidence, expecting TO
win. and always won. When he played
against Ball, although a much better
player than Ball is or was. he gener-
ally came in beaten. Why: He could
never explain it. He only felt that he
could beat one and that he couldn
beat the other.
To my mind. If there was ever a mar
i in golf possessed of so-called iron
nerve, or lack of nerve, it was John
Ball, eight times amateur or
Great Britain. He was as stolid as a
rock at all times. Apparently a tourna-
ment meant nothing to him. 1t has
been recorded how, on one occasion,
just before a final round for the Brit
ish championship was to be started. he
was found working in his garden, with
no thought of golf in his head, and he
came away to play his match only with
great reluctance.
Yet I saw wen the iron-hearted Ball
show the effect Of a nervous upset. In
the British championship at Sandwich
he had come to the eighteenth hole l
up. All he needed here against his OPP
| ponent was a halved hole to win the
match. Playing this hole. Ball was
while his rival was of the edge OF the
| green. There seemed to be no chance
for Ball to be beaten. He had a half
at least sewed ~. But in my entire
7 SOtI career L OOu L UcliCNC SNCI saw "a
mar take as long for n shot as Balls
J opponent did from the edge of the
green. He must have taken at least
FIVE minutes. and it seemed Ike five
finally Clipped up within three feet of
the cup. BY this time Ball had evil
IDENTIFY become nervous over the long
delay, for he putted only half way,
missed the next putt. lost the hole and
then the match, on the nineteenth
green.
Everybody Does It.
Yes. Mr.. Smith. duffer, "a take cheer
in 1.-THE thought that he isn't alone in
this lack OF nerve control. He is not
only not alone. but he is with the vast
majority. Nothing SO cheers the duff
! fer as to see a star lock up or miss an
easy shot. 1t brings balm to his own
case Of nervous upse.s and many
misses. for no man is safe from an
attack of nerves in golf.
There are times when nerves are
mixed up with physical inability to
stand the grind Of the tournament. The
most striking example of this involves
the case of John Graham, the greatest
amateur piayer in the GRID. Graham
is the worlds greatest amateur, despite
/ the fact that he has never won a Brit
ish championship. 1t isn't a case Of
lCl NGS 3 III u dS Tic 10 sltHul dlu
not physically strong ne simply i3 worn
down physically before the week is
over. and is a total. wreck by the finish.
In a thirty-sia-hoie medal-play coInpe-
tition he would be the favored one over
the field. as he has repeatedly won big
tournaments of this sort. But under
the strain OF match play he is so bad
ly worn down that he is unable to
sleep.
1t is a queer fact that neither Ora
ham, the best shot maker and the best
medal player OF England. nor Evans,
the best shot maker and best medal
player in America, among amateurs,
has been able to win an amateur cham
pionship. Evans has never been able
to develop proper concentrat ion-to get
full control of his nerves in the ANA
teur blue ribbon. He is extremely
YOU and this in spite of bis rare
skill. for an attack of nerves plays
no favorites. 1T may kit the best golf
er in the world as quickly as it strikes
the twelve-handicap man.
II a star golfer. one who is expe-
rtenced and a master of every shot in
| the bag. is unable to sleep the night
before a tournament, and reaches the
first tee hageard and nervous, how
much more excuse is there for an aver
as seriously. but who knows that ne
hasn't the shots to back him up?
Colts Big Four.
In golf four main ingredients are
needed for ournament success. These
are skill. temperament. experience and
luck. To aiiot each ingredient its per-
centage is a difficult task, but / would
arrange the games big four as fol
lows: skill. 90 per cent: temperament,
20 per cent; experience. Is per cen
luck. 10 per cent. We all know that
skin Is the ability to play the different
shots. to drive. approach and putt. We
know what experience Is. and we know
what luck is. "
But again-just what is this temper.
ament? Here IT Is that the psychoIo-
gists n experts and students of the
game all sadly differ. Some call II
courage: others call II lack Of nerves:
others call 1t control of nerves. But no
satisfactory definition has ever been
offered The best definition I know is:
COLI temperament Is control of nerves,
which is easily understood, plus the
mental attitude for any one lay which,
is a mystery. 1t is this mental atti-
tude for the day-this feeling that no
man can tell on hat day his game
will be at its best or worst-that causes
all the trouble.
Every man who has played golf has
hail the great fear of being charged
with cowardice or lack of nerve. be-
cause under certain tests his nervous
ness was so apparent that his game
had gon to seed.
The average player, Of course, suffers
More than any one else. az he hasn't
the skill TO lall bac TX on or the expert
En..a that will ~, -,