RELAXED EFFORT

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 72, 16 June 1927, Page 14

RELAXED EFFORT

SECRETS OF GOLF FROM PROMINENT PLAYERS The need for the relaxed effort in golf is a point concerning which Grantland Rice, one of the best-known writers on golf in America, makes some interesting remarks. In an article in an issue of the “Herald Tribune,*’ he endeavours to prove his contention by referring to the almost unbelievable series of successes achieved by the imperturbable Walter Hagen. Mr. Rice’s contention appears to be that in big match play nerves must be relaxed and muscles work smoothly. NEVER “KEYED UP” He writes: Those who have never Quite appreciated what relaxation means in golf —including mental poise and lack of tension—should study the case of Walter Hagen. It has been eight years since Hagen won the United States open championship, where every stroke is counted and tabulated for 72 holes, and this is proof enough that he is not the best mechanical golfer in the game, the best of all the shot makers. But his match play record for the last three years has been one of the most astounding happenings in competitive sport. And this record, in addition to great skill at golf, is largely due to his complete relaxation under heavy pressure where apparently he never becomes keyed up or lets himself reach any stage of luigh tension.

Consider Hagen’s three-year record only. In that span of time he has won the P.G.A. Championship every time. That means that he has won 15 consecutive 36-hole matches from the best pros, in the country over three different courses.

In the same length of time he has played 72-hole challenge matches against Cyril Walker, open champion .1924; Bobbie Jones, open champion of Great Britain and the United States; Abe Mitchell, match play champion of Great Britain; and Gene Sarazen, ex-open and ex-P.G.A. champion. To beat these four stars is one thing. But Hagen has done something more. He has finished 39 up on this quartette, rated among the greatest in the game. Abe Mitchell was the only one he failed to massacre completely, and he met Mitchell on English turf. In 72-hole matches against Walker, Jones and Sarazen, Hagen a\ r eraged 1.2 up, a margin almost unbelievable. THE CASE OF SARAZEN

Sarazen, for example, was supposed to be one of the few golfers who had some mystic edge on Hagen. He had beaten Hagen in other meetings in other years. Before this last clash Sarazen had been playing extremely brilliant golf. He had been around the top of his best game. And yet, over three different courses, where the first J. 6 holes were played at Miami, where Sarazen makes his winter stand, Hagen finished 8 up. Gene met the same fate which struck Cyril Walker and Bobby Jones. In each meeting Hagen was at his best. In each meeting his opponents were far below their standard form, due probably to an over-eagerness which the Pasadena pro. manages to escape. In other words, while they were playing Hagen, Hagen was playing golf. It is difficult to explain how Hagen could finish 39 up on three such golfers as Jones. Sarazen and Walker, and still be unable to win a U.S. open since 1919.

Sarazen -won one in 1922, Jones in 1923 and 1926, Walker in 1924. Jones has beaten Hagen in five successive open championships. Sarazen led Hagen in the opens of 1922, 1923 and 1926. But when it comes to a match play test none of these has been able to put up even a good skirmish. They were all overwhelmed. Any good golfer can be overwhelmed at almost any given time—if he is off and the other star is on. But to have three such stars annihilated through three years is harder to explain. Sarazen was 3 up on Hagen in the first eight holes. Yet he finished 18 down at the end of 65 holes. This means that Hagen piled up a margin of 11 holes in the last 57 played. NEED FOR MENTAL POISE

The answer must be that Hagen’s opponents try too hard to win and fall heir to a crushing tension while Hagen keeps his same carefree, relaxed mood and just goes on playing golf. It Is quite possible that Hagen himself gets keyed up a trifle too much In medal play in his extreme keenness to win the U.S. open once more. After trying year after year unsuccessfully, he has broken or faltered in the stretch on several occasions, where good, sound golf would have carried him on through. For there are no super-men, after all. They can all break under one condition or another. Hagen has proved again the complete need of relaxed effort in golf. This doesn’t mean that one can’t be keen. But it does mean that even the best golfers must keep a certain amount of mental poise or mental to insure smoothness of stroke, rhis Is especially true of the short game, where high tension can raise the well-known dickens in fehort order. muscles and nerves can wer* smoothlyi