I hope, then, that the advantages of the short swing for those who begin golf comparatively late in life, are by this time sufficiently apparent. Having adopted this method, the beginner must remember that the finish of the stroke is at least as important as the beginning. It is absolutely necessary that he should keep the head of the club traveling in the line of the ball's flight as long as possible, and this can only be done by letting the weight of the body follow the stroke until it rests entirely on the left leg. The right shoulder must also come forward, and the tendency to draw back both the shoulders and the arms after the ball has been struck must be overcome at any price. Examine the different positions at the end of the stroke, and you will see that there is more of the swing after the ball is hit than before; the practical explanation of which is that in order to secure a good finish the club must be traveling very fast when it reaches the ball. If, on the other hand, the stroke is ended as soon as the ball is struck the swing must be gradually becoming slower before the club reaches the ball, and the drive is robbed of most of its force.

In actual practice you will find that as the club goes back the heel of the left foot is torn, as it were, from the ground. Similarly, when the stroke is finished, if the weight is carried through correctly, the right heel is sure to rise. But in both cases the action must be unconscious. Do not pay any attention to a professional adviser who tells you to turn your heel. There is absolutely no virtue in the motion unless it is spontaneous. Practice your swing constantly and the rest will come in due time.

Summary

To put it shortly and negatively, then:

Don't begin by counting your score.

Don't use an iron club, nor an old fashioned wooden one.

Don't hold loosely with your right hand.

Don't raise either heel from the ground until it comes naturally.

Don't, above all, as you value your golf-ing future, adopt a full St. Andrews swing.

So much in the way of suggestion to the real beginner. In the next chapter I (Advice To Beginners) shall address a few remarks to those who have advanced far enough to play a definite kind of game, whether good, bad or indifferent.