Evening star., 1938-12-12
De- With Abundance
OF Talent, Misses
Highest Honors
Went Places Himself
By Procticine Four
Hours Every Day
By WALTER McCALLuM.

ny WAL IL EN- NlCSALLOM
"Why is it," askedsWiffy Cox, the
big question and answer man al
Congressional, that this section
never has developed a champion
golfer? Washington is one OF the
finest golf towns I ever have seen
with more players than any town OF
its size, and yet can't recall q
champion ever coming from the
National Capital"
Knowing Witty you would expect
him to be quick on the uptake with
an answer to any question he might
ask. So he wasn't slow in explain
ing. "Ill tell you why" he said
"These golfers around here aren't
willing to give the time and effort to
improvement. They aren't willing
to spend hours on the practice tee
working out the grooved shots it
takes, and to spend those grubbing
hours on the putting green you
have to spend to get good-and
stay good.
They're lazy, and they aren't
willing to work. I don't know OF
single amateur who spends the
hours on the practice tee it takes
to perfect a really fine golf game
Take 'em all, right down the list
and you won't find one who does
what the top pros consider just part
of their routine training" And
Witty settled back and let that one
sink in.
Must Keep At 1t.
"It's a shame that a city like
Washington, where so many people
have so much chance to play golf
hasn't produced a champion. I
don't know so much about the boys
of other years-like Roland Mac
Kenzie and George Voigt, even
though I have seen them play a
lot. But around this town right
now there are some men who could
be champions were they willing to
give some time and effort to the
game. Oh, I don't want to crack
out with criticism of any individ-
ual. What l mean is that golf isn't
a game that comes easily, nor with
out constant practice, and these
boys don't seem willing to give it
that practice.
Il mean that when you really
are good you only stay good by
keeping at it all the time. You'll
find the top pros of the land never
let a day go by without at least two
hours on the practice tee and
around the putting green. They
are at it all the time. They have
to be to remain good I remember
back in 1929, when I was at Dyker
Beach on little course measuring
around 5000 yards, I made up my
mind I was going to become a golfer.
The course didn't have a bunker
On it, and was easy. Craig Wood
played it and told me I never could
hope to become a golfer on a course
where the shots were SO easy. But
I set myself a four-hour-a-day
practice schedule under all weather
conditions, kept to it and took time
off (Which cost me money! to play
other courses. I managed to get
pretty good and that year I won
seven titles. I'm not trying to tell
you how we'll played. What I am
trying to get over is that you don't
ever get anywhere in this game
without lot of practice. I wasn't
different from any one else. They
all do it-all the beginners.
Walper an Example.
Take this Leo Walper fellow.
Leo has become a good golfer be-
cause he was willing to spend those
grinding hours on the practice tee,
getting sore hands and aching
muscles, but also getting his swing
in the groove. Leo is a perfect eX-
ample of what I mean. He took up
the game fairly late in life, but he
determined to make something of
himself in golf. And he has sue
ceeded.
Mrs. Davy is another example
of the kind of golfer 1 mean. My
friend Estelle has lifted her game
into fast company within two years
simply because she practiced-and
worked hard.
Natural golfers?" and Witty
chuckled. "Sure, there are lots of
them. Plenty of kids around who
have natural swing and the con-
fidence and eXuberance of youth.
But what do they do when they
lose that youthful swing and mus
cles begin to tighten up and their
game begins to fall apart? The only
answer to that one is practice and
a lot of it. And I don't mean
half hour. I mean hours"
Sounds like a pretty severe in
dictment of lot of boys whom we
though were pretty good golfers.
But when you look at the record
Witty is right. Washington has not
produced champion golfer, even
though Mackenzie and Voigt were
pretty good. And the Roger Pea
cock of the years between 1882 and
1885 was no child as a club-sWinger.
Maybe the District open champion
has something there.