New-York tribune., 1921-11-06
Barnes Explains Why Golf
Stars Suddenly Change Form,
Open Champion Tells About the ''Skidding'' of
the Best; Gives Points How to Build Up
Ones Came; Stale Stars Come Back Quickly
BY james M. Barnes
Open Colt Champion OF the United States


Open Colt Champion
l have received a number of lett
for the big shift in form that has over
Most of these writer's have want
golfers as Hutchison, Hagen, Miss
and others, including myself, could
then drop so far back few days late
These sudden changes have seemed to
puzzle every one. They can't figure why
man good enough to win big cham
pionship can't keep in the same neigh
borhood at least, even if he doesn't al
ways win.
l think short review of some of the
leading features of the year along this
line will help to clear up the situation.
Hutchison and Mitchell
We will take UP first the cases of
Jock Hutchison and Abe MITCHELL two
of the stars of the game.
Early last spring jock was travelling
like q racehorse on this side of the water
and Abe was moving at about the same
clip through England and Scotland.
Jock was playing far and away the
best golf over here and Abe was play
ing much the best golf over there.
The spring end early summer tourna-
ment records show that it was a romp
for these two.
BY the time the British open had ar
rived Abe was just beginning to fade
and Jock was just at the top Of his
game.
At that date hadn't come to the top
of my game through long lay-of on
account of boils and carbuncles That
was big help to me, for our own open
later On, as it kept me from being over
golfed.
After the British open both Hutchson
and Mitchell were ready for big slump,
as both were badly over -golfed.
Neither was able to make any show
ire in the United States open, while
after an enforced rest through most Of
May ard June, was still keen for a
hard competition.
At the same time Hagen was working
his way forward to top form He hid
come fer enough to tie for second place
at Washington, and two weeks later he
was at his best. Hagen, after slow
start, had great finish Jock, after
grand start, had bad finish. The same
thing, in a way, applied to my own
case.
Why This Was So
Why should this be? I'll take up my
own case. When we got to the open at
Columbia | was keen for golf. l wanted
to play. I was able to concentrate with
out effort and to get my distance with
out pressing. | had the touch and the
feel one needs to win.
But when the Western open arrived
was in another mood After the
United States open I played in several
exhibition matches, and by the time ]
got to Cleveland for the Western I had
gone stale, just as Hutchison and
Mitchell had done at Columbia.
Stalencss had this effect shot-mak-
ing became an effort. I felt that had
to press to get my normal distance. |
found nv timing was out of whack.
When it came to Judging distance tho
intuition one has when one is keen had
disappeared. / had to guess at what
the range was, and part of the time !
was still wondering whether had
guessed correctly while playing the
shot. This is always big mistake.
But when you are tired and your
keenness is gone, making mistakes is
an easy matter.
When you get to the green you can't
see the right line. You have no idea
how hard to hit our putt In fact,
your game is crumbling, and you know
it. Golf is game that requires the
finest sort of nerve. control. 1t is a
game that requires the most delicate
type of timing. 1t is a game you must
feel keen for if you are to do we'll
And If you are not keen for it, if you
are over-golfed, q star can crack wide
open just as badly as a duffer.
Too Much Golf
The American team pla ed too much
golf at Hoylake, considering the matter
Of daily gallery watching every shot
for ten days before the championship
The result was that Bobby jones and
ouimet were beaten by golfers not
even close to their class. Both Jones
and Ouimet were stale. And stale stars
can come back in hurry to ordinary
talent good enough to get an 80 or
an 84
The same thing happened to Miss
Leltch. She had been in hard competi-
tions and exhibitions from late April
to October. BY October she was moth
ing like as good as she was in May or
June. In June she had "a at Fon-
tainebleau in the French amateur.
In October she had SO at Hollywood
against Mrs. Let's. Fontainebleau
isn't as hard ss Hollywood, but there
is great gap between "a and 90,
more than stroke a hole.
| know that both Jock and myself
played entirely too much competitive
golf to be near our best after August
Picked Miss Hollins
In this connect :on I'd like to saw that
l picked Miss Hollins to win at Holly
wood, and for this reason: A short
while before the championship l saw
her at Garden City practicing.
i asked her how she was playing
"As we'll as | know how to-" she re-
piled, "but I'm only playing once or
twice week. l don't want to make
the mistake of being over-goIfed be-
fore the championship starts
She had adopted the right system.
AS she was playing well she didn't
need any further training or an cor
recting. And when the championship
started she was keen for game.
The same thing applies to Jesse Gull
ford. He played in but two tourna-
menta bafore the amateur chamninn-