The Washington herald., 1921-08-31
GRIFFs sWAMPED BY YANKs 1913; DROP TO FOURTH PLACE
Building HRLlOlai, Game
Sy e/dWescR. Games
Open GoH Champion Of the United States

what club you need 10 reach the
green.
I Make a practice here of firm
anu iron-bound decision. Don't
waver after you have once drawn
the club.
BE sure then, in taking your
stance. of the right line Of play.
/ Don't wait half way through the
swing to wonder whether you are
| aiming too far to the right or to
the left-whether you should have
used a mashie in place OF a jigger-
or spoon in place Of an iron.
Have all that definitely located
before you start your back swing.
With that decided. you then have
but one job left-and that job Is to
put your entire thought upon hit
ting that folf ball with the best
swing you have.
What most golfers do is to start
out thinking properly and then
break the thought half way through
the swing. This means breaking
up the swing. II also means lifting
the head and the right shoulder.
II means an almost certain foozle
or badly struck ball.
Looking at the Ball.
1t isn't necessary to say Look at
the ball" If you are thinking
about the ball as you swing-think-
ing all the way through your swing
you are most certainly going u
look at il.
You don't have to bother about
keeping our eye on the ball. Just
keep your mind there and your eye
will be there, too.
This is equally try OF putting.
You can't be wondering what the
right line is and how hard to hit
the ball while your club head is in
motion. as the majority do.
That part must be settled first
Then, with nothing else on your
mind, you can swing the club head
properly in an even, true line and
hit the putt just as 1t should be hit.
Your original Judgment as to the
right line and the speed of the green
may be poor. But at least you viii
hit the ball correctly and that. after
all. is the most important part Of II
all
Think through your stroke about
hitting the ball-think all the way
through-and let everything else
slide.
Make a practice of this, jus: as
you make a practice of swinging
club. Why can SO many golfers
swing correctly at a cigar stump or
a dandelIon head and not at the
ball? Because in the first instance,
with no thought OF distance "r
bunkers to break up their concen-
tration, they are centering their at
tention upon the swing alone. ard
"
with fine freedom and with unusual
snap.
Unless you make a practice of
correct thinking-of making mind
and muscle work together-of con-
centration upon the swing alone
you are not going to get very far
1t may not come any too easy al
first, but Il isn't out OF reason and
it will make all the difference In
the world in your game.
II you will only make practice
of this mental control. the lessons
that are to follow will be OF value
II YOU forget this part of II you
might as we'll quit golf or make up
your mind to be a duffer the re-
mainder of your life.
For at least you will never be
consistent and you win never have
even the outside chance for steady
play. This was the strongest point
in the games OF such great amateurs
as John Ball. Walter J. Travis and
Jerome Travers. who were three oil
the greatest thinkers through"
ever knew. They followed through
mentally. as we'll as physically. and
the result was seventeen champion
ships at both stroke and match play
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