Show Q 10 tack ACK KRAMER the tennis star was talking about the difference between golf and tennis we had just asked him it if there was any chance that he would follow in ells worth vines path and later take up golf tor for a living not the slightest chance ever the astute kramer said it may be tough to make a living out of tennis but it s far tougher in golf for ex ample in a tennis match il if you can beat an opponent in straight seta sets or in three sets out ol 01 four you usually can keep on beating him not always 5 J kramer but usually it s nothing like that in golf you can beat a star one day and next day some unknown will knock your brains out in tennis we knew pretty well who should reach the semi finals and the final round at forest hills we figured at least that most of the leaders would be hanging around but at pebble beach they were scat bering the dust of beaten stars all along the pacific just about the time this golt golf championship really got under way frank stranahan was out bud ward was out smiley quick was out ted bishop defend ing champion was out most ot of those picked to win were packing their clubs and heading somewhere else fellows who had lost in the first round at baltusrol Baltus rol a year ago now were decorating their wig warns with scalps of leading stars tennis also has its upsets I 1 suggested upsets are the rule I 1 know that kramer said but only here and there only occasion ally golf is nothing but one upset after another look at the last P G A tournament most of the star golfers were out by the second round I 1 like soil golf as a game but not as a way of making a living it s too tough ellie vines has played a long number nu anber of brilliant rounds but he rarely wins a big money tournament and vines has practiced thou sands of hours at golf don dont t forget I 1 put in that tennis Is played over a few square yards of space A round of gou golf cov era ers over five miles and some acres A tennis court is perfectly massaged A golf course is full of trees bunkers traps matted rough tough ponds lakes maybe part of an ocean hills ravines bushes and jungle irv cobb told me once that he got so deep into the woods on some western course that he was attacked by two pumas also there are few cuppy lies in t tennis ennis no bunker heel prints in the sand that may have something to do go with it kramer said all I 1 know is that I 1 don t want any part of pro golf even if I 1 was 15 strokes better than my 85 there is another angle that kramer might have figured on the tension in golf is about four times the tension in tennis or any other sport there Is only one cure or relief for tension that every other sport carries tills this is action move ment golf has no such relief too tough for many it is much easier to keep your eye on a fast moving baseball or a fast moving tennis ball than it is to keep a fixed orb on a small white ball that doesn doean t even flinch until you hit it or move it any football player will tell that bis his tightest tension is s aller just before the first kickoff after one or two body collisions this ten sion is gone nothing like that hap pens in ip golf golf demands greater mental con arol than any other game by men tal control we don t mean cultural intelligence which has nothing to do with sport psychology always plays a far big ger part in golf than in any other game in almost every other game you are playing against some opponent in golf you are playing al most entirely by yourself no one can interfere physically with anything you do you can only beat yourself your main opponent Is yourself not the other fellow golf demands no speed no brawn no quick mental reflexes under fire there are no split seconds of mental action in golf as there are in base ball football tennis polo and all games of physical action knute rockne who played most games ames well gave up golf it s too ough tough for me knute said fred red st stone be was one of the great natural est st natural athletes I 1 ever saw acrobat boxer a star performer la in most sports fred learned how to ski in two hours rex beach told me once yet stone tried and quit golf olf it was a different game and those who have played other games ames so well hate to be duffers and lubs in a game that looks so easy ind nd simple sammy byrd and eusworth ellsworth vines are re the only two men I 1 know who ave starred at other games base aall and tennis plus golf byrd was i better golfer than he was a ball player but he turned first to base ball |