Fig 15. The. Drive. - Mr. Laidlay Addressing The Ball..

Fig. 10. - The Drive - Diagram Of Mr. Laidlay's Position.

I have not yet referred to the position of the legs. Fig. 12 will show that I stand with my legs straight, but just eased at the knees, and the body erect; but it is more usual, and equally good, to see the legs slightly more bent at the knees. I repeat again that the whole position must be easy and comfortable, and not stiff or awkward.

The position above given, it has already been pointed out, is that for driving or playing the long game. In approaching and putting some variations are necessary, and will be referred to in the proper places, viz. in the chapters dealing with these subjects. I call the changes in position which will be described 'variations,' because I do not regard them as being of sufficient im-portance in character to make them actually different stances.

There have now been described the grip, the position of the ball, and the stance, and the only remaining subject to be dealt with in this chapter is the swing. One speaks of striking the ball, but this scarcely conveys an accurate idea of what is required to be done in playing golf. No doubt the ball is struck, but the stroke should be as little as possible of an up and down motion, and should be of such a nature that the ball is swept away in the course of the swing. The ball is not to be hit as if it were desired to drive it into the ground. The player should rather have in view to swing his club as if to drive something through the ball from behind in the intended line of its flight, What is required is a sharp, quick hit, with a sweeping motion, not a heavy, ponderous stroke. It is the rapidity of the downward swing that propels the ball, and the greater the velocity with which the club-head is travelling at the moment of impact, the greater will be the distance driven. A good swing is as graceful a position as is to be seen in any sport, It is desirable to have as long a swing - that is to say, to have the club-head travelling in as large a circle - as possible, because the club gathers speed as it descends, and the further it has to travel the greater will be its velocity. This is what makes a half swing objectionable; but it is nevertheless possible to have too long a swing, as, for instance, when the club is swung so far back that the player loses control over it. When this happens, there is bound to be a loss of force, and such a swing is less effective than a shorter one.

And now to describe the swing. The player, grasping the club in manner before indicated, and standing in the position before pointed out, will have his arms, slightly bent at the elbows, hanging down in front of the centre of his body, his right shoulder slightly depressed, his body just a little bent forward from the hips, and his knees relaxed, all to such an extent only as will give ease to his position. It may be stated that Mr. Laidlay holds his arms not opposite the centre of his body, but somewhat to the left, and this is a natural consequent of his style of play. The player must now swing the club up over his neck or top of his right shoulder until the club-shaft is at right angles with his body, or is across, but not touching, the top of his shoulders. Fig. 17 shows the position at the top of the swing. It has already been said that the club must not be swung with an up and down motion, but with a sweep; and, to carry this into practice, the club-head must be swept back along the ground as far as the arms will permit, until it begins to rise towards the shoulder, the arms being allowed to go well out from the body with the swing, and, as the club rises, the elbows and wrists bending, the shoulders turning round so far as is necessary, and the body easing at the hip- and knee-joints, the left knee turning inward, and the left heel rising off the ground as much as is required to facilitate the swinging round of the club. The right elbow should be kept in to the right side until it is carried out in the course of the swing, but it should not be allowed to rise above the shoulder, even at the top of the swing. Fig. 10 shows the position the right arm should be in at the top of the swing. I may repeat that the grip of the club must be eased, as before pointed out, as the club travels round. I have recommended that the club be swung until it is in a horizontal position across the top of the shoulders; if, however, the swing can be continued beyond this until the club-head dips, good and well, but if it be felt that going further round than is above indicated tends to allow command over the club to be lost, the swing should not be carried further. The turning of the shoulders, the easing of the body at the hip- and knee-joints, and the raising of the left heel off the ground should not be more than is sufficient to enable the club to be swung round with comfort. Attention has been drawn to the position of the right arm at the top (or the full extent backwards) of the swing, and it has been stated that the elbow should be held in to the side until the raising of the club carries it up: the raising of the arm should follow the club in its upward motion, and should not precede it. If the arm be raised and followed by the club, the result is that the whole of the right arm is brought into such a position that the joints jam, and prevent the swing of the club being carried round in manner above directed.

Fig. 17. - The Drive - The Top Of The Swing.