J. II. Taylor's Grip. Top of Swing.

the right, or to stand more or less erect for his full strokes and to huddle himself into a heap when playing an approach. The part of the handle to be gripped will depend entirely upon the manner of swinging adopted by the player. If the swing be long, more command will be obtained over the club by holding it near the top of the leather, if the swing be short, or, if the hitting or cricketing method be employed, it will be found that a shorter grip will be the more serviceable.

Stance-The position of the player's feet relative to each other, their distance apart, and the distance of the ball from each, depend on a variety of considerations, and it is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rule in these respects. The best players exhibit wide differences in the matter of stance, but these are entirely due to differences in stature, length of reach, and the length of club used. As a general rule, however, it will be found that the player has most command over the ball if he stand so that it lies opposite him at a point nearer his left foot than his right. The player should stand easily, facing the ball, his legs apart, but not too much straddled, with his toes slightly pointed outwards, at such a distance from the ball that he can reach it comfortably by placing the club head behind the ball, and by holding the handle opposite the middle of his body, with the arms slightly bent outwards. His position should not be so far away from the ball that he has to reach forward in order to hit it, nor so close that his motions are cramped in the act of striking it. It is not of importance whether the feet are placed in a line with the ball or whether the right or left foot be slightly advanced, as the best players exhibit all these variations. The important matter is to take up, as far as the nature of the ground and the length of the club will permit, the same stance for each stroke. If a player is constantly changing his stance, it will have an absolutely fatal effect on his play, and will be the most fruitful cause of heeling, toeing, slicing and topping the ball

Swing-For all balls that lie fairly on the turf, tee-shots of course included, the player will do well at the outset to think of the course to be described in the air by his club head during the stroke, as a circle or segment of a circle. It must not be supposed that it is meant that the club head must describe with geometrical accuracy a segment of a circle, if the stroke is to be a correct one ; but simply that the course described by a club head, when the club is truly swung, more nearly resembles a circle than any other geometrical figure. With this view of his swing clearly in his mind, it will be obvious to the player that, to strike the ball fairly, the club face must reach it when the head is at the lowest point of its circumference ; that is, after it has ceased to be describing its downward course and before it has commenced its upward. If this be not done, the stroke must be more or less missed, and the player must so arrange his stance as to ensure, if he swing accurately, that the club face will find the ball in the right place when it descends.

Addressing the Ball-In taking aim or addressing the ball, it is the almost invariable practice to pass or flourish the club head a few times backwards and forwards over the top of the ball, in the direction of the proposed stroke. This is called the "waggle," and has for its object the freeing of the wrists and arms, and of ensuring that the club lies properly in the hands. In addition, it is essential after the waggle to rest the club head for a moment on the ground close behind the ball, in the exact position in which the player wishes it to return on the ball. To do otherwise, as, for example, to place the toe or heel of the club opposite the ball, to place the club on the ground altogether clear of the ball, or not to ground it at

John Ball, Junr. Full Swing.

all, is to court failure. If any of these eccentricities be indulged in, the difficulties of the stroke are enormously increased, as the player, after, as it were, leaving the rails to start with, has to find them again before reaching the ball, with consequent loss of force and great risk of inaccuracy.

The ball having been addressed in accordance with the foregoing instructions, the waggle, which must not be unduly prolonged, satisfactorily accomplished, and the aim taken, the next consideration is the swinging of the club.

As the swing is to be circular, the club head must be made to pursue the same orbit in the upward swing as in the downward, if the maximum of force and accuracy is to be attained, and all the motions of the hands, wrists, arms, and legs used in the upward swing will be simply reversed as the club comes downwards.

In commencing the upward swing there should be no swaying of the body to the right side, nor should the swing of the club be commenced by pulling the hands to the right in advance of the club head, as this will throw the swing out of gear at its commencement. The club should be swept backwards and gradually upwards evenly and without jerk, the shoulders turning round as the club rises till it is well over the neck or right shoulder. The wrist and elbows will bend, following the upward motion of the club, and the grip open, as before indicated, as the

John Ball, Junr. Full Swing.

club reaches the top of the swing. The backbone must be kept as rigid as possible and used as a pivot, round which the shoulders must work in making the swing. The head must also be kept steady, and the eye firmly fixed on the ball.