Show a i e 03 Of of a aS 1 J Tee flee Wy U y GR GRANTLAND RICE RIC Copyright 1924 New York Tribune Trib une Inc ON 00 co COTs CONCENTRATION lION We happened to know hs h's game Once in iii II a a while ho broke broko 90 but not often otten On this occa occasion len sic e stopped tor for a II minute to See Re him play a shot hot The Tho rall pall ball isas as asI I Ing none non too well and he hi h had hadon one of oC o thos those wrecking nerve 70 yard 70 yard pitches to make where th the green v was isas 0 well guarded In front I and equally well guarded b behind It isa 0 was the type ot of shot hot that Jones Jone I Ha Hagen or wouldn't hn base picked In a a medal round The e et- et ci 1 result took place HI Ills His w is oak pitch dropped into the nearer trap and for tor a n tw tew seconds the th atmos- atmos atmosphere phere I phere her l was rife with nith Ith strong and rugged language missing a simple shot lI like e that he ha finally said WA What t did didI didI I II I do wrong You never concentrated we said Concentrate hell he growled all I did What t you did lId W we I replied was this You first thought ot of otho J 1 the tho nearer pit and nd decided to be I sure and clear it Then about the top of o your our swing you OU suddenly remembered the other ther t trap was Just a as so 80 ou parca inc nu nudo do down don n swing Ing and fell Cell short You er also still till sore ore at the tha luck ot of ota ofa ota a had bid lie and were thinking of oC that You were concentrating on everything e except ept hitting th the ball about bout 70 yards ard It had to he be that way he as ix no different from th the other million who isho play a rL number of ot good goOel shots hoto but who isho ho only creak k 90 now and then At about this time we happened to think of ot a II certain talk with Geoge Duncan Duncan Dune tool took a alook alook look at the green creen selected a 11 club and ond nd then after planting his feet ph pl ed d the shot without any further delay dehy What hilt do you OU think about as ou take your our OUI stance we lIked asked Nothing said Id Duncan Duncin I 1 dont don't think At least loat not lifter after I tik my stance I do my thinking on the we wa up lip to th the ball bail I lee decide be- be before be before fore tore I get pet to It just is what hat the th shot hot Is and how I will sill it It Then I quit thinking about it I leave I Ithe th the rest of It to my subconscious mind or to muscle memory After AlterI I take tako my stance lance eve eve eve- thing Is me- me me mechanical e Before I Kit jut t up to the bali I 1 say About yards ards a mashie hot allo allow allow- allowa a little for tor th the Ind 5 md from the left I pass pas that along from mind to mu mus muscle cl do cle Th The Tho mind Is I through at lit that point Its It's blank Theres There's nier noth noth- nothIng noth- noth nothing nothing ing left lett but to hit the tho ball ban I On One day wo iso watched Johnn step up to his hi ball bolI There tsaR s a slow low mitch match on ahead had and anti ho he couldn't play In place piece ot of o is h ho alke walked 1 15 It or 20 feet to one side lei turned his back backon backon backon on the th Ih fairway ahead and nd started to his hlo hl cadd caddy you Mn t I hit a it ball he said salol ld later when whon you yon ha have haiti to stand tand and wait walt You begin wondering you ho have baie 0 the th right club how hard haiti h d you OU ought to awing anti and n bout six sl ia or Me even Meen en other ether things And haying having waited wetted theme thel mu ati emit ent you ou are r In a hurr hum to hit is whole hole hole mental altitude attitude Is I burred and all an this shows In the swing When you ou hat have hate e to wait walt dont don't stand standby standby land by the til ball ban Step Stop well ell away from It and anti dont don't think about It until Ott on can cnn pidy Ive I've 1 e seen more mor shots shote shot osted b by standing over a II ball bali waiting for tor the th chance to play than an any other wa way When i hen I have I Ithan stepped up to my ban ball I have hate ai- ai al already read ready decided whit hat I want to do doand land and I dont don't want ont to stand land there think any Kny more about It I IOn On One trouble In getting thes these l ideas ioe conI 0 er Is that the a aera vr era e goiter golfer con con- con I It an unimportant part To his tiny ay of thinking grip stance ph ali ali oUng-ali all the mechanical an- an an angles are are bout about the only details that count He HI wont won't that he ma may build up the most perfect e over eter er known and still spoil every evory shot by trying to concen- concen concen ate ti-ate on five live or six lx thin ot at t once by an undecided state tato of ot mind as ashe ashe ahe he tike takes his hiM stance by the thought ht ot of extra effort with a bunker hunker to toca ca carry rr Gil Gli Nicholls o remark remark- remarked od ed that the th best mental attitude for n a scoring good round was a mental condition of pure pur Idiocy There should at len least t be something approaching a II blank mind something after th the stance Is I taken and nd the th swing swine is Ie I m I started A dumben I Is much notter ter oft at this stage than a keen klen Iter imagination or tI a a high Intelligence still trying to work through the process s of oC o the tho th wine swing s It Is too Into to do any thinking after the I swing has ha hs started The rhe Fh sole Idea I ItI then la hi t hit the ball bail to hit lilt It ci and dee decisively is which can c only bo be done don where here i a definite do- do decision de decision cislon I Is h made nude In advance ance In a 0 recent championship we saw one of oC the th be best t ot of o the th ana ana- ama amateur tour Rollers golfers step Into a bunker near the thc green to play ply out The match was is-as all an square at this thin point Ith three holes hols left The Th ball bali baliwas was sitting on top ot of the sand only ten t n or fifteen ar ards from the pin The ban ball 11 0 1 ha haie hay e been talc talc- tak taken en clean or an explosion lon shot hot pay pay- ed ed Tho The roller olter took a full tull swing and caught the ball clean and anti It traveled ards beyond Into th the This goiter gOlfer had h d won both an open and an amateur champion champlon championship ship Yet ho he admitted he h was s as still undecided whether to take tak ke the ball bail clean with sith It a mple s pitch or pin pia I Ian an i explosion shot not so he tried to do todo both at lit the tho same im me time time-a Ime a mat mat- ter matter which happens happen on n v too often Iter I Spring Is now nearly read ready v to pipe Its annual call cill to the I hordes who ishio will soon be Storming the bunkered turf Most of these th e III continue i to wonder why ashy hy their gam game doesn't Improve as aJI they pUll try to think of oC o other dur- dur dur In log dur durIn the th swing anti and not about hit ting hit nf tIme the h ball bali They is iii still till be bo undecided and Uncertain after they hll e taken their stance And they III still be stopping the clown swing or lifting the tho head to see whether or not ha haio hae e guessed ed correctly they The turf will be green th tb sky th sill be blue tho sun eun n a golden ell ow Ther There sill III b be birds singing In the tees about But again th the atmosphere III 5 ill be rite rife I because thero rugged sill III orde Iv v process s of or he be no nol I the start of o the th swing thoUght t up ti I to t I |