Evening star., 1924-03-21
THE MAKING OF 4 GOLF CHAMPION
CHAPTER IL.
Old Hats for Luck,

HAVE never been much of a be-
lever in good and bad luck in
golf as applied to the actual me-
chanics of play. After that tourna-
inent at Deal in 1920, however, as l
mentioned in my last article, began
to see that there was varying de-
gree of chance or luck which had
to be taken into consideration.
Sometimes the breaks are with you
and sometimes against you. but /
don't attribute this to any SUPER
natural Intervention. 1t arises. I
think, from vagaries Of Temperament.
which every athlete experienced or
| from external conditions such as sud
den changes in temperature-wind
rain, heat-and the hundred and one
minor accidents that can always oc-
cur. -
Have Queer Hunehe..
All professional golfers recognize
/ this margin OF chance and many of
them, probably feeling their impo-
tence to combat 1t, have developed
queer, queer, lunches ri and superstitions in
superstition, as matter OF fact, In
every sport, but there Is more of it
among tournament players in golf
than In any game within my knowl-
edge and l have INDUCED in a good
deal OF base ball and other lines of
sport In my day.
This strange catering to chance
bobs up everywhere and most of the
time without a player realizing that
he is courting dame fortune. Every
golfer has lucky club. a lucky golf
bag. lucky pair Of shoes or a dozen
and one other things with which he
can associate good break in the
game. l know some tournament play
ers who wear entirely new clothes
gear. and they go out on the links
with the worst looking hats or caps
imaginable. II asked the reason for
this, they would be forced to admit
that 1t is because under that old hat
"a couple of tournaments or important
matches were won.
Favor Hat superst Atm.
l do not think the men TX are rs
Superstitious about hats as the wom-
en-, Some of the women are strong for
funny looking sky pieces. Miss Marion
Hollins had an old hat that had long
since seen its better days. but, be-
cause It had figured In some import
future use. Miss Edith Cummings.
this years winner of the women's
ritle had a lucky hat and 1t was any
thing but beautiful.
u
luck hat that carried her through two
seasons. Last year she must have for
gotten where she put 1t, as the cham
pionship slipped through her fingers.
Miss Alexa Stirling also has abiding
faith In an aged bonnet. In the past
few years women golfers have taken
this up as q sort of fad and good luck
hats materialise on the slightest pre-
text.
l remember at Deal seeing one British
on the links because years before he
had won a big championship in that
coat ! suppose he never reckoned how
many he had lost with it
Keep Pipes i'm Mouths.
The British golfers, frequently appear
on the links with pipes in their mouths.
and these are not always loaded or in
carry pipe, and they would not be
without it
There is an interesting story connect
ed with golfer who always carried a
pipe and who always put 1t down on
the teeing ground in exactly the same
way the bowl turned toward the ball
and the pipe stem pointed in the gen.
eral direction OF the hole.
When asked why this function always
preceded his play he made the follow
ing explanation: Il place the pipe on the
ground in this manner" he said, for
reason directly associated with my
game. You see by close observation that
the stem of the pipe Is pointing in the
direction of the hole. This should be
explanation enough. ! do not have to
worry about looking up to see where
the hole is located, for / know If I hit
the ball down the alley in the direction
the pipe stem IL pointing / am going to
be right on the line"
Blue Shirts and RDast Lamb.
One we'll known golfer has a habit of
smoking certain brand Of cigars while
playing, and he is never without it The
habit has grown on him and, many of
his friends declare. in direct ratio to the
increasing expertness Of his game. /
think of leaving the tee without lighting
a cigarette. After few puffs they
throw it away. I suppose II this wasn't
done they would surely miss their next
shot.
A friend Of mine claims to have start
ed the fad Of wearing a blue shirt on
the links. One day he won a tourna-
ment, and recalled that he had worn
blue shirts all that week. After this he
was seldom without one. and occasion
ally, when none were available, found
his game decidedly on color. so to speak.
During the amateur championship
at Brookline Jess Sweetser had pea
soup and roast lamb for luncheon,
when he won his first match round.
AS it was on the menu again the next
day Jess thought 1t must be lucky
food for q winner and he stuck to it
all week.
A few seasons ago some one sent
Gene Sarazen q necktie, with instruc-
tions to wear IL in a match against
me for good luck. Gene took the tip