Evening star., 1928-04-03

Around this beguiling and fascinating
game Of golf have grown up al SortS
OF bizarre and unusual theories. PhSS.
ical and mental kinks have been blamed
for poor golf and good golf until the
mass of theories has become almost a
topheavy as the scientific conception OF
the origin Of man. KiSley q. hun.,
demon putter of the WaSninston SIoI1 ..
and Country Club has a Strikingly new
slant on the game. which offers q loop
hoe of solace for the duffer, although
IL is rather a severe indictment OF the
expert.
Briefly Hunt believes (and is support
ed in his theory by several or ms fellow
club memhersl that the man without
imagination. without the cerebral kinS
that enables him to visualize all the
trouble around a green and enables him
to nlav STRAIGHT for the pin without fear
Of trouble, is far more apt to be sue
ceSsful golfer than the man With VIVID
imagination,
IN other words. Hunt holds that the
rolfer who sees nothing but the pins
and does not fear the bunEerS and other
troubles that lie in wait for the poorly
hit ball will make better player than
the man who lacks the phlegmatic tenn
peranlent.
Tough on Experts.
II must be considerable solace to the
men who cannot shut out OF tneir
minds eve these bunSered expanSeS 10
know that even though their shots don I
all have that punch which oespeaks
golfing authority. they must have mag
ination. for the ball Just won't so right.
But il is rather a severe indictment on
the real experts TO accuse them of lack
of imagination, for men Of the type OF
Bob Jones. Chick Evans. Francis Oui-
met. jess SweetSer and many other top
notcherS surely do not lack the mag
tnative quality,
Rather il is more likely that they
see exactly the same terrorS the other
chap sees, but have so trained their
muscles to swing in the proper groove
that the shot comes of without con-
scious mental effort.
Whatever may be the truth Of the
matter, Hunts theory is interesting at
least, with regard TO this intriguing
game. 1t is automatic that man with
brains does not always play fine golf.
nor that a fine game OF golf does not
necessarily bespeak possession OF gi-
gantic intellect.
Not the Same Kind.
Alex Smith used TO have theory
that the man who played with the
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win against an opponent of equal me-
chanical skill. He might have said
"above his ears" with corresponding
accuracy. But golf brains and brains
in the abstract sense Of intelligence
above the ordinary are things quite
different in character.
Here is the way Hunt describes the
difference between a man with golf
imagination and one lacking in that
interesting and frequently fatal quality.
Playing the short eleventh hole at
Washington, for example. with its deep
ditch IN front and at the left. and its
bunkers behind ana at the right, Hunt
says the man with amagination would
take one look at the hole and say TO
himself:
Gee whiz, wonder whether I'll get
over that plagued ditch. And IL do
get over viii the doggone ball slice
into that bunker or bounce over the
green at the back?s =
The man without golf imagination or
nerves. or whatever It might be called.
would say something like this 70 him.
selfi
"HeIlo, you sweet little ereenl That
pin isn't far from the edge Of the ditch.
II win take lot Of backsptn. Wei.
III hit it and ] know 1t win stop pretty
close"
And he proceeds 10 do Just that very
thing, while his less phlegmatic brother
that maze Of trouble staring him In
the face-lifts his head and pops the
ball into the ditch or one Of the bunk
ers. Truly, II seems proper case for
Freud. Perhaps it has something TO
do with inferiority compiexes. or inhi-
billions.
Both Factors Supported.
At any rate, IT is "a comforting thing
20 know that when we fub one, per-
haps our all too active imagination
which Hunt claims is closely akin 70
brains) has caused the foozle The
only naw In the theory Is the game Of
the experts. Surely they do not lack
imagination, for 1t does seem that the
highly organized, nervous type Of In
diyidual is more apt TO 60 on low
scoring jamboree than his more phleg-
matte brother.
we have Leo Diegel In mind as
typical OF the nervous. imaginative type
Of player. And the way he logt-or
failed 70 win the 1925 open champion
6hip-because he imagined the twelfth
hole az Worcester was something hard
er than q 4. And with that on his
imagination he took 8. And the
other type is not better ezemplifed
tnan 0y WalDef ha&en OF Oeue CaFdAEL
two players who have won some re-
nown in golf who seem 70 lack the
imaginative faculty 70 see trouble.
Golfers Of the Inter Departmental
League will hold their annual tourney
over the course Of the Indian Spring
Golf Club on June 4 and 5. Thest
dates fall On Monday and Tuesday
and the golfers employed by the Gov
eminent were In such QuandaTy thai
three ballots were required 70 choost
between Indian Spring. Bannockburr
and Manor, ali Of which offered theii
courses for the event
Choices Of q nominating committee
made three weeks ago for the ofilcer'
OF the league were elected YESTERDAY
s& follows: Homer 6. Pope, Genera
Accounting Ofsice, president: r. g. Col
llFls. Justice Department, vice president
Ralph A. Shepard, Internal Revenue
secretary. and John T. Harris. War
treasurer.
Following plan recommended by th'
board of governors the league decided
" divide the contestants into thres
classes according " hanctcaps CLASSES
A., II and C. Teams may be entered
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