The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-21

Ky WALTER HAGEN Former American. British and French
 open champion. twice American title
 holder. and present holder of the North
 CHAPTER IF
 have never been much of believer in good and bad luck in golf as ap. piled to the actual mechanics of play. After that tournament at Deal in 1920, however, as I mentioned in my last article, began to see that there was a varying degree of chance. or luck, which had to be taken into considera- tion. Sometimes the breaks are with you and sometimes against you but I don't attribute this to any supernatural It arises, think. from vagaries of temperament, which every athlete experiences, or from external conditions such as sudden changes in rain, heat--and the hundred and one minor accidents that can always occur.
 Develop Queer Hunches
 All professional golfers recognize this margin of chance and many of them, probably feeling their impotence to com bat it, have developed queer lunches and superstitions in regard to 1t. There is more or less superstition, as a mat ter of fact, in every sport, but there is more of it among tournament play CTS in golf than in any game within my Knowledge, and I have indulged in good deal of baseball and other lines of sport in my day.
 This strange catering to chance bobs up everywhere and most of the time without player realizing that he Is courting Dame Fortune. Every golfer has q lucky club. lucky golf bag, lucky pair of shoes or a dozen and one other things with which he can associate good break in the game. I know some tournament players who wear entirely new clothes when play ing except for their headgear, and they go out on the links with the worst looking hats or caps imaginable. If asked the reason for this, they would be forced to admit that it is because under that old hat a couple of tour nanients or important matches were won.
 Women Favor Hat Superstition
 I do not think the men folk are as superstitious about hats as the women. Some of the women are strong for fun ny looking sky-pieces. Miss Marion Rollins had an old hat that had long since seen its better days, but, because it had figured in some important cham pionship, it was kept for future use Miss Edith Cummings, this years win
 
 hat and 1t was anything but beautiful. Miss Glenna Collett wore a good luck hat that carried her through two sea- sons. Last year she must have forgot ten where sho put 1t, as the champion ship slipped through her fingers. Miss Alexa Stirling also had abiding faith in an aged bonnet. In the past few years women golfers have taken this up as a sort of fad and good luck hats materialize on the slightest pretext.
 Always Wore Same Coat
 remember at Deal seeing one Brit ish golfer who always wore the same coat on the links because years be- fore he had won a big championship in that coat. l suppose he never reck- oned how many he had lost with it.
 The British golfers frequently ap- pear on the links with pipes in their mouths and these are not always load ed or in use. Some of them think it is lucky to carry a pipe and they would not be without it.
 There is an interesting story con- nected with a golfer who always car ried pipe and who always put it down on the teeing ground in exactly the same way, the bowl turned toward the ball and the pipe stem pointed in the general direction of the hole. When asked why this function always pre- ceded his play he made the following CAPAdhdtAOA. PAdGC AnC pIpG Ou LuO ground in this manner" he said, flor a reason directly associated with my game. You see by close observation that the stem of the pipe Is pointing h 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 I know, if I hit the ball down the alley in the direction the pipe stem is point ing, I am going to be right on the line"
 Blue Shirts And Roast Lamb
 One well-known golfer has a habit of smoking a certain brand of cigar while playing and he is never without 1t. The habit has grown on him and, many of his friends declare, in direct ratio to the increasing expertness of his game. I know several golfers who would never think of leaving the tee without lighting a cigarette. After a few puffs they throw 1t away. I sup. pose if this wasn't done they would surely miss their next shot.
 A friend of mine claims to have started the fad of wearing a blue shirt on the links. One day he won a tour nament and recalled that he had worn blue shirts all that week. After this he was seldom without one and occa- sionally, when none were available, found his game decidedly off color, so to speak.
 During the amateur championship at Brookiine 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 a winner and he stuck to it all week.
 Tie Turns Tables
 few seasons ago some one sent Gene Sara1en necktie with instruc- tions to wear it in a match against me for good luck. Gene took the tip and appeared in the tie, much to the amuse- ment of my friends, who had taken one Of my old ties and mailed it to him. Gene was sure 1t was a lucky omen. The funny part of 1t was that bles on me-or on my friends, don't know which.
 At the open championship at Inwood last July, Jock Hutchison played his first round with one ball and did so well that he kept it in commission during the second round also. The third round the ball had outlived it's usefulness and he changed, but strange ly enough hts luck changed with it.
 Jim Barnes never goes into match without a clover head in his mouth; Jim says 1t has become a habit and insists that it brings good luck.
 Theye's A Natural Explanation
 many Bohers carry horseshoes in their bags. Miss Cummings had one when she won the Westchester- Bit more in October. Mike Brady had a caddie who carried all sorts of things in the golf bag to help Mike-a rab- bits foot, four-leaf clovers, a couple of horseshoes and I don't know what else.
 l have known golfers to carry clubs In their bags that they never used at all, simply for the association's sake, and some use club that has long