Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-24
TOO MANY AL|b|S,
TOO MUCH SCIENCE"
"0Id-Timers Played Silently
and Then Went Home and
Forgot About IT,
BY WALTER HAGEN,
British Open Golf Champion.

~--N--N--'
u~ UR forefathers enjoyed the
~ game a great deal more
than. we do remarked a
~ golf enthusiast to me. And
he went on to explain:
"You see, science has ruined the game
for us in recent years. Science Is a
nuisance. There was time when life
was worth living, but not today II one
plays golf, because golf now does not
take in the actual playing of the game
so much as it does the hours Of aliblS
and aftermath.
1.-THE old boys who lived and golfed
in Scotland played the game in silence,
and then went home and forgot about
it. They must have enjoyed their Ia
vorite pastime as it should be enjoyed.
There are many old books ON golf, but
nothing compared with what the pres
ent generation is going to hand down to
roSterity.
Didn't Know of Psychology.
''If there was any deep mystery con-
nected with golf hundred years ago,
our forefathers kept it to themselves.
We find no writings on the subject OF
psychology or theory, and there were
few books dealing with the art of shot
making and advice on what to do and
what not to do.
The game was played for pleasure.
and the old Scotch players refused to
make work out of it, although golf has
always been taken more or less seriously
in Scotland. 1t has been something
akin to a religion. 1t is their life.
To-day We hear of such things as
good timing, bad rhythm, intentional
slices and hooks, back-spin, playing from
the inside out, long discussions about
the follow-through, and admonitions to
keep the eye on the ball and the head
down. If we fail to keep up with this
sort of golf ourselves, our friends take
it upon themselves to furnish free adj
vice, sometimes at the most inopportune
moments. One must constantly be re-
minded of his faults, whether he Is
pleased to hear about them or not"
Hits Nail on tire Head.
1t is remarkable how my friend hit
che nail on the head. Golf is no longer
pleasure for a great many enthusiasts
who feel duty bound to live up to
handicap and who are miserable when
they score couple of shots more than
they should. We Americans are respon-
sible for most of this unrest and dis
satisfaction. The American mind works
a little differently from the English or
Scotch mind in regard to sport.
Over here we go in for golf for all 1t
IS worth, and making a success of the
game means winning trophies at tour
nament play. The American rushed
into this sport as he rushes to his bust
ness. When he is on the links he must
either be playing for a large stake or
he must be engaged in a tournament
for a weekly handicap.
I have visited the British Isles sew
eral times. and have had a chance to
golfer close up. Before went abroad
I had pretty good idea what was
what in Great Britain through the many
Scotch and English players who came
to the United States and from whom
learned the game.
The foreign players are not inclined
TO give as deep study to the game as we
Americans do. When foreigner goes
out for an afternoons golf he makes
the most of it. He is never in hurry, |
and when he finishes he is satisfied to
let his clubs rest. The alibi-uSed in |
the slang sense-only recently found its
way into English and Scotch golf, and
the great majority disdain to use it even
now.
English Not So Serious.
The Englishman is a serious golfer In
o way, but not what we would term a |
golf nut or bug-terms applied to most |
Americans. The American worries about |
this and that, and he must get in his |
practlce before ROUNDS. IL is unusual 10 |
see an Englishman practice as we do
over here. The sight of an Englishman |
or Scotchman going out with his little
bag of golf balls for an hours practice
IS almost unheard of. He does not take
rs many lessons, and an indoor golf
school is seldom seen.
However, golfers are being developed
IN the United States at a. faster rate,
and our golf is becoming more of a
stable article than the golf brought
over originally from the other side.
Science has helped to make us better
players, even If it has given us fits of
hysteria and unrest. The American
loves to get quick results in business or
sport, and this is one reason-the prin-
cipal -reason-why we are going far
ahead of Johnny Bull in game We
borrowed from him.
Golfers today may not take the game
as leisurely as the Scotch did a century
ago, but they are making quicker prog
resS and are working along more scien-
tiAc principles. Science may drive a
lot of us to the madhouse, but it is
making better players.
Copyright, 1929 by North American News
= paper Alliance.)
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