Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-08-06
RELAXATION IS
WHAT GOLFERS NEED,
WORD OF HAGEN

The Associated Press herewith pre-
sents another of a series of articles
Illuminating national sports and their
. chief figures. 1t is an interview with
Walter Hagen. leading professional
golfer of the world. written by Alan
J. Gould, sports editor The inter
view is copyrighted by the Associated
Press.
New York, Aug 5.-(P)-The duff
fers in golf who are struggling to
break 100 can make long stride to-
ward their goal If they will follow
the advice of no less an authority than
Walter Hagen, and relax"
The American professional champion
declares relaxation" is the one thing
that every golfer should learn, yet
how many of them, knowing full well
the advantage of loose, supple mus
cles. tighten up and become as stiff
as poke when they are about to hit
the ball? This ruins more shots than
any otheN one thing l can mention.
In thus passing on. through the As
sociated Press, what he regards as the
most helpful of all hints he can give
to the inexperienced, Hagen also
strikes keynote in the remarkable
success of his own career. No cham
pion in the game takes it any easier
than Hagen, who learned this lesson
some years ago in a disastrous at
tempt to keep pace with the ire
preSsihle veteran, Jock Hutchinson.
Jock and 1 met in the finals of the
first i. g. A tournament ever held.
Jock set off like race horse and
tried to gallop along with him We
covered the course in the astonishing
time of something like an hour and a
half, but where Jock was used to that
sort of thing, 1 got into all kinds of
trouble. hurried my shots and, of
course, lost the match. That taught
me to take it easier and study out the
shots and many problems that present
themselves through the fairways and
on the green's"
ION thousands who have followed
Hagen's sensational course he has
left an indelible impression of this
serenity. evident not only in the de-
liberate character of his game, but
also in his personal appearance. AL
ways hatless and debonair, Hagen
reflects the fashion-p plate of the links.
from natty socks, carefully creased
plus fours" and brightly hued
sweaters to his glistening, perfectly
parted black hair.
At the same time the man who an
nually makes more than a presidents
salary for taking part in champion
ships and exhibition matches re-
CARDS golf more as a pleasure than
business, fact which his friends
believe is largely responsible for his
unprecedented success.
What other advice would you give
buffers besides urging relaxation?"
Hagen was asked.
There are lot Of things to be
considered besides hitting the ball"
he replied, but unless we unbend
and relax they are not worth bother
ing with. l might suggest some of
the fundamentals, such as: Following
through. keeping the head down.
standing with the feet fairly well
apart going back slowly and most
important of all, letting the club do
the work instead of forcing it.
This is where buffers also fail and
it is a fault akin to stiffening the
muscles. In the anxiety to kill the
ball, many players start with body
movement before the club-head has
come in contact with the ball. The
result Of this is usually a slice or a
ball pushed out to the right.
1T is important to remember that