GOLF TOPICS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19972, 5 July 1930, Page 6

GOLF TOPICS.

MENTAL HAZARDS. (SJBCULLy WBITTKf FOR THE PRESS.) [By Jambs D. A. Scorr.] 'Time are hazards in great variety intro&'iced into modern golf by ingenious course architects and some courses •preien. to the golfers of modest, attainments some truly terrifying problem!, There i> one type of hazard, however, more subtle than any devised by the most cunning committees, which it is within the power of the most modern pei formers to negotiate, but which baffles snany a seasoned player because it is usually approached in the wrong way. I refer to the mental hazards that are continually confronting nearly every golfer, but which are extremely difficult to legislate for, since, what is a stumbling block to one man, has never troubled the other. How many of us aro there who have not, at one time or another, found ourselves completely unable to face a certain hole, or possibly water hazard with any degree of confidence, and, in consequence, habitually como to grief at the dreaded spotf And yet the holo or hazard to be negotiated is well within the powers of the player were it not for the inferiority complex that seems to pervade hi» system whenever he approachso his bfite noire. The most usual of all these troublesome problems is the hole that runs along a boundary fence, and attracts the drives of certain players nine times out of ten to well outside the boundary. Most players elect to tee up as far as possible away from the dreaded fence, but by far the better plan is to tee the ball as near the "out-of-bounds" as is permissible and thus acquire the- mental comfort of having to play away from the menace instead of playing parallel to it. It is not uncommon for a player to seem incapable of drivi&g anywhere near the correct direction at certain holes, whilst at others ha cannot go wrong in his line. I believa the usual reason for this is, that he fails to pick up some object on bis line, and to Us it definitely in his mind's eye, thus fixing that somewhat nebulous thing called aim in his subconscious mind, and instead, takes his Stance with tho general direction of the hole as his object. I believe that If ft definite ohjfcfc li the last thing to bo looked at before tho ball ia hit, the hands and arms, which govern the direction of the ball, automatically follow the lip a to the obj*et that has been focused on the mind by that last lock. A general direction produces a possible vagueness of the mind which la infectious to the controlling armß, end the result is, frequently, a serious deviation from the straight and narrow path. , In the case of a particular hazard that refuses to be negotiated, I am convinced that there is ono method of defeating it, and one only. Tho victim must go to his Waterloo armed with a sack of balls anij work out his own salvation in single combat with nis enemy. , , The One way not to get the better or » water hazard is to practise on it with "floaters," as this merely produces an* entirely fictitious courage which evaporates when the real business comes to be undertaken once more. The mental outlook is of the utmost importance to a beginner, and he will do well not to nnder-estimate the difficulties he will encounter on his long trek to proficiency, but at the same time he must not allow himself to be overawed by the immensity of his task. . . I would emphasise the great harm done to a vast army of golfers by the modern custom of providing competition* for all and every occasion, to such an extent that players who have only their week-ends for golf can have no standing on the course unless they are entered for the competition. The natural result is that they are afraid to experiment with any new theories and are always trying to obtain the best results at tho moment and neglecting the possibilities of lasting improve* men! by making experiments in games that are of no consequence whatever. Their attitude to the game becomes somewhat narrow, and they are unwilling, eventually, to explore the unknown fascination of shots that they come to regard as outside their compass. This cramping of their mental outlook on the game is, without doubt, responsible' for the apparently inexplicable lack of improvement in a number of players who, at one time, showed promise of good golf. . To become a good player it is essential that one should acquire tho ability to banish any other thoughts from the mind than the business in hand. After the tee shot ideas for the following shot should be forming in the mind, during the walk to the ball, and fro* quently some little territorial advantage may be noticed for the next stroke that will be. overlooked if the mind Is occupied with thoughts of conversation concerning business or bridge. Complete detachment from outside subjects is essential, since extraneous matters constitute mental hazards by lessening concentration. The aspirant to golfing fame must learn to become confident in his own ability to perform the shots he'sets out to play. Such confidence is only begot* ten of studious practice, but uncertainty in the mind of a player as to his ability to bring off bis objective is almost certain to be attended by disaster. One cannot'help admiring the hero who carried a bottle of whisky in his bag during a championship just in case he did a hole in one. What a magnificent way of looking at things 1 Quite the right spirit, too.