Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-24
STEADINESS BEST
POLICY in GOLF
Chick Evans Warns Play
ers Against Tendency
Toward Sensational Shots
LUCK IS BIG FACTOR
BY CHARLES c"CHICK"C EVANS

There seems to be developing in this
country a class of players who strive
TO make sensational shots every time
they TAX up q club. In observing this
tendency I have been impressed by the
fact that almost always these players
are young men, and II may he this taste
Tor sensationalism Is merely an express
fslon of youth and an excess OF animal
spirits.
The cultivation of this tendency is bad
Tor the player who aspires to par golf,
for the whole history of the game
shows that the steady player brings
home the bacon. Or perhaps | should
use the phrase from a popular song
brings home "a piece Of the Rhine"
The striving for sensationalism on golf
In my mind represents merely misdi-
rectcd ambition, coupled with an unfor-
tunate desire for the applause of the
gallery. No player has yet been de-
, veloped who has successfully employed
sensational work to conquer steady play.
Unbelievable shots are sometimes made.
but they are the result of accident
rather than design.
Beginner Thrills
In the years / have been playing golf
j have seen many astonishing shots
made. Perhaps none exceeded in sur
prising results thar that which was
made by a beginner playing with me on
a public course in a foursome. His
shots were exceedingly wild, and he
had hardly a Vestige Of that valuable
quality which we call control. On one
hole his shot from the tee stopped not
far from a large tree in the center of
the fairway.
We cautioned him to play safe. But
with that disregard Of golf principles
which is common to many beginners he
took his driver and hit his ball a free
and mighty swipe. 1t graZed the tree
and rising in a beautiful curve sank
slowly down and stopped on the green
some 200 yards distant. ,
No golfer l have ever seen could have
done better. This beginner had simply
tried for a sensational shot and without
realizing 1t had drawn the face of his
club across the ball at exactly the
right time TO give him the pull shot
necessary for his purpose.
Confidence Inspired
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this
man couldn't have repeated that per-
Torrance again to save his life. He
himself realized that his success was
purely an accident, but Notwithstanding
this. fact the shot exercised a curious
mental effect on him. From that time
VII ht plds tu III "HA
easily a 100 per cent greater skill. |
never saw him play again, so | don't
know whether the. results were perma-
nent. but they were surprising for at
least the remainder of that round.
The ability TO play a sensational shot
in a crisis Is, of course, a most valuable
golf quality, but those who possess 1t
are exceedingly rare. Walter Hagen is
about the best ! know. He shows this
power best in his ability to. recover from
bad lies.
, In IA match with Hagen no competitor
finds any encouragement IN the fact that
Walter is cupped, for it is in just these
circumstances that he is most likely to
tear lose with IA sensational shot which
gives him extraordinary distance or eX-
traordinary accuracy. But only the
th~ousandth man will have any success
In golf IL he relies on sensational work.
The steady player will beat him con-
sistently.