The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-28
TEEING OFF THE SEASON

UT oEfhoON
 The difference between good golf- CTS and poor ones often can be meas nred by the factor of attitude. l don't mean by this that the player must be serious toward the game to the point of abstraction, but there are certain points that he must be serious about if he ever Is to be- come a really first class player. That is why I say that failure to take these points eriously--maintaini the proper attitude toward them too often is the only thing that stands between poor playing and really good cards.
 April brings us nearer, if not df- rectly into. the great playing season, the country over, so it will be well at this time to get the season prop erly teed off, so to speak. That Is to say now is the time to correct last years faults.
 The player will have the right at titude toward his fayorite sport if he gets fixed in his mind. once and for all, that low scores come, ulti- ma ately. to the man who plays golf properly. Low scores become the regular pleasure of the player who persistently does things according to the proved principles of the game and who steadfastly declines to let himself slip into inaccuracies of play because doing the right things at first seem awkward
 l had a talk recently with psy- chologist who. while talking about other matters. confirmed some of the beliefs long have held about golf; beliefs, I might say. which often <-4x l. IOH me to championships in the end.
 Must Train Mind
 This man pointed out that the mind must be trained into sort of groove" after which the muscles follow automatically. That Is. he pointed out, every time an act IS performed in a certain way an im- precision, or path, Is made In /the brain. Expeditions of the act, done in the same way, deepen and fix the so-called mental path. Presently a habit is formed. I could see that this could work two ways, for right habits or bad ones, and I pointed out that con clusion to my interesting acquaint- ance.. q had golf in mind all tho time but did not mention that fact.) I soon was shown that the factor we call will power must come into play to put out of the mind wrong fully established habit.
 But of perhaps greater interest to golfers was the explanation that there is nat4ral tendency for such mental pathways to be erased by time If the act in question Is discon- tinued. Thus l could see that when golf is suspended for some months, then taken m again the player is in the best possible position to rid himself of previous bad habits and acquire new good ones. Therefore these observations may enable some players to improve their game tni' l year above the best they could turn m last season-and all of us want that.
 Practice Essential
 At the very beginning of the sea I son the watchword should be prac- l tice. l urge players to forego a round of the links until they havt 1 put in several playing days making 1 nothing but practice shots. Star | out with the fact that low scores l come to the player who plays the game right rather than to the ons l who strives for distance and take, long chances Establish, with you practice. the distance you can fee reasonably sure of in the drive then be content with that distance Do not strive for more yardage, bu' make sure that you so execute you drive that your ball will go straigh < down the fa.rway. Travis, one Q the greatest of golfers. was only ! |l ITS yard driver. but no one ever say hlni off the course.