Evening star., 1936-09-13
THIS WEEK

pIodCn, so that you haven't even a
chance to putt, all right. Let him have
his fun. You'll probably do as well on
another hole. And if you don't? Well,
there will be many more games.
happened to win the Metropolitan
Amateur the other day - but l may
be wiped out in the first round of the
National. What of it? That won't kill
the fun.
Tommy Taller summed up the
whole business when we finished our
match in the Metropolitan. at Lido.
! had him two down, but he won the
twelfth. leaving him only one to the
bad and coming up. On the thirteenth
his drive fell among the bulrushes.
He made beautiful recovery. not
quite on the green. l was home in two,
but frittered away the approach putt.
That instantly changed the COM
plexion of the match. Each of us had
an eight-foot putt for a half - but
his ball popped in and out of the cup,
while mine sank.
That was the turning point of the
MATCH" Tommy remarked as we
walked back to the clubhouse. IF
your putt had missed and mine had
stayed in, the shock would have left
you struggling for life. But yours
dropped. and you breezed in the rest
of the way. Oh well. III get mine
some other day"
He was right. No player can stand
the shock of seeing dead man come
to life and beat him. Also, the golfer
who meets disappointment without
turning sour is the man who will win.
Very different from a man l know -
won't name him because he is good
fellow - who was beaten out on the
last green by a stolid plugger who
hardly spoke on the way around.
WELL" said the loser, Il suppose
you don't have to be dumb to play
golf but it does help"
OF course, if you make too much of
apicnic of match you may suddenly
find yourself away behind. Playing
Eric McRuvie in the National at
Brookline not long ago. l started
without care on my mind. enjoying
good company on a fine day. l blew
a two-foot putt to lose the first hole,
missed good chance for winning
birdie on the second, and lost the
third by taking FIVE strokes on a par
four hole. Two down, when l should
have been at least even! Eric and
were laughing on our way to the
fourth tee. but deep down inside was
calling myself a blankety-blank
Stacker and few more fancy names.
The cussing gave myself did me so
much good that l shot seven brides
in row, and all the rest pars, and
came home winner with nice 66.
Carelessness caused the sloppy
play on the first three holes. and con-
centration on the game produced the
seven brides and eight pars that fol-
lowed. But sometimes the more you
concentrate the worse you play, as I
found before the National Amateur at
Kenwood. Tuning up for the great
event, Il tried to get longer distance
with the irons. l got the distance all
right, but the ball curled away from
the green's in fancy slices and hooks.
The more pressure l put on, the
farther it SHE'D away from the mark.
For days I concentrated on lengthen-
ing the iron shots, and grew steadily
worse. l asked Tommy Armour what
was wrong.
Been lengthening your wooden
shots lately. haven't you?" he asked.
"Yes."
$50 you're turning your hips back
farther. to bring more body power
into the swing" Tommy said. But
when you pivot that far with the irons
you ruin the shot," l shortened the
pivot motion, and the iron shots went
true to the green's. Simple as a, b. c,
wasn't it? had known the principle