The Washington herald., 1922-12-28
GOLF MASTER
OF PLAYERS
AT ALL TIMES
Even Stars of Game Cannot Go
Through Entire Season With
out Experiencing Setback.

|T OLF is the one game that al
(T ways is master of the
player. It may be con-
quered temporarily, but cannot be
held LONG in subsection. Of our
best players, those who won cham
pionships, none has been able to
go through a tournament season
without at least one stumble.
There were Walter Hagen and
Jock Hutchison. Both won the
British open championship early in
the season and then failed In the
American open play and subsequent
championships. Hagen, for exam
pie. was unable to finish among
the first four at Skokie; George
Duncan won from him in the New
York open, and Walter fell in the
Southern open at Nashville. To
top it off. he lost in the worlds
championship match to Gene Sara
zen.
Jesse Sweetser tore through the
field at Brookline, winning on con-
secutive days from Hunter, Gull
ford, Jones and Evans. That week
he was unconquerable. Yet soon
after that he lost two tournament
matches in the Victory and Leslie
cup championships.
Glenna Collett moved down the
opposition at White Sulphur Springs.
but a week later was beaten in a
Massachusetts tournament.
Merely proving the contention
that the little white ball on the
smooth-shaven green will not long
behave as desired.
SARAZEN CLOSE TO MASTERY.
Gene Sarazen has como as close
to maintaining mastery over golf
as any player in the game. Gene
started off by winning the South
ern open event last spring. Then
he took the national open, the pro-
fessional and finally the worlds
title from Walter Hagen. Four
championships in a season Is .
record few have come close to
equalizing.
But even Gene Is human and
showed this by failing to make .
bold showing in the Metropolitan
open.
You might tie it. but you can't
beat 1t.
There would be better golfers ev-
erywhere il Sarazen's methods were
more followed generally. Gene is
an advocate of long and diligeut
practice. To that, more than any
| thing else. he owes his success. To
the average golfer. practice is irk-
some where there is an opportunity
to get out on the course and en-
gage in a match. But the neces-
sity of it cannot be sidestepped.
The season for conversational
| feats on past performances and
/ promises of an improved game next
year is at hand. Improvement only
can be accomplished by hard
practice. If possible to work on an
| indoor course, much good can be
| accomplished in that manner. But
the canvas nets do not offer the
opportunities for Improvement that
an outdoor practice tee does, for
there the result of the shot is seen
much better than indoors. where
| the distance is limited.
SUCCESS DUE TO PRACTICE.
Sarazen. by dint Of practice, has
| overcome every weakness in his
game. His strokes are powerful
and accurate. So much so. in fact,
, that he has an overwhelming
amount of confidence in his game;
confidence that would seem bonn
bastic if found in many players.
Accuracy is a great thing in golf.
Sweetser has it in ample quanti-
ties and so has Glenna Collett.
There are still those who believe
weight and strength are essential to
distance shooting. But Hutchison
and Wethered. two Of the best driv-
ers in the game. are far from being
giants. Hutchison would rate as q
bantam and Wethered. while tall, 10
a lightweight. But both have mas
tered the art of timing and the use
| of the wrists.
One finds few big muscled players
among the champions. They have
strength. of course. but 1t Is found in
long. slender muscles that have
whip-like power and suppleness. In
fact, few athletes, except wrestlers,
have big bulging muscles. The bali
player, football star ana tennis lu-
1 mi sar-iA