New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-18

! i can't understand what is the
| getting worse and worse. / had a
! man / was anxious to beat l never
more golf before this match and ca
! How much golf did you play before
the match 7" i asked
! Well" he said, 81 played thirty
sly holes three days in succession and
practiced g little on the side
And yet, accustomed to playing only
cnce or twice week, he wondered,
after three thirty six-hole rounds in
succession, why his game was ragged
and he had no touch.
When he spoke of this l immedi-
ately thought of Harry Vardon, ]. H.
Taylor and James Braid even in their
younger days before an open cham
pionship.
You might find them strolling around
the course for exercise, but for two
days before you couldn't get one of
these to touch club.
They knew the value of starting a
tournament, of facing hard match,
when one was keen for the game.
whereas the man VINO played those
three thirty-six hole rounds started
4. footsore and muscle sore, stale and
nervous and in no condition to handle
his usual game.
The Amateur Championship
The amateur championship starts
this week at St. Louis over the Coun-
try Club course.
In this championship there will be
a number of very fine players who
yill be worn out by the second round,
men who have already reached the
edge of going stale by too much play.
Some Of them have been playing two
rounds over the course for several,
days and their keenness has already
begun to slip
remember, back in 1915, when the
championship was held at Detroit.
The course that year was very long.
Many crack golfers who had been play
ing steadily all summer came there a
week ahead for thirty holes day. But
there were two men who had been play
ing much less than most of the others.
They were Robert Gardner and John
Anderson.
Both were fresh and keen for play
when they came, and later on, when
the others were sagging, these two
were just hitting their stride. And
they were the two who reached the
final round.
The best way to train for cham
pionship or big tournament Of any
sort is to play ell the golf you can, in
a reasonable way. for ten days or two
weeks ahead. Then rest for a day
or two, have another work out an
other rest and then play only one
round during the two days preceding
the tournament play
Keenness for the game is necessary
for good golf, especially when you
have several days Of steady play IN
front of you. And yet | should say
out of every ten golfers are badly
.soverplayed.
The Winning System
| played just one round of golf over
the Columbia course before the. quail
flying round. Just one round.
Last year at the Engineers many
Evans because ne was SO late in arriv-
ing. "Chick" got there just in time
for one practice round. But "Chick"
was smart enough to know that he
would need all the strength and keen
ness for the hard weeks grind, and
he was not working himself out in
advance.
believe that was one trouble with
the American team in the British anna
teur championship at Hoylake. They
were son the ground nearly two weeks
ahead of time Most of them played
only one round day, bat that ona
daily round over the same course,
with gallery following every stroke
was enough to take away their
sting when it was needed later
on. They were at the top for the
international matches on Saturday, but
starting down hill by Monday and all
fading by Tuesday or Wednesday.
When the others were playing in
tournaments or hard matches before
the last British open, Sandy Herd was
laying off almost completely. He wa
getting keen for the big test, and the
result was that at SO he was tied for
the lead at the end Of the third round.
For the Duffer as Well
This article is not intended alone for
the championship golfer or the tourna-
ment player. 1t is intended for the
duffer as WELL
Golf is a game where it is very easy
for one to go stale. 1t is far more Of
a mental staleness than a physical