AGAIN returning to details. In playing with the iron the stance is different from that taken in the case of any other club. The right foot must be advanced, and the left thrown back, with the ball on a line that will be nearer the right foot than in the playing of a stroke with the cleek. The position of the hands is also different, for they must of necessity be held low, in order to bring the heel of the club fairly on to the ground. When addressing the ball the hands must also be thrown slightly forward, so that, supposing a line were dropped from the knuckles to the turf, it would touch the ground slightly in advance of the ball.

The distance of the player from the ball, when addressing it, must, as in other strokes, be regulated by the height and the reach of the wielder of the club. There is also an appreciable difference in the swing ; it is not so great, nor is the club taken so far bark as in the using of the cleek. It is a matter of considerable difficulty to describe this swing; it can be readily shown when upon the golf course. There is but a little difference, and yet this little difference makes all the difference.

In using the iron the stroke is of the sharp, nippy variety, played from the wrist. Here, as in the other strokes I have described, the man with the powerful, flexible wrists has an advantage; but with practice a player will discover that strokes will come readily to him that he could not even attempt at the commencement of his handling of the club.

The follow-through with the iron is of a lesser degree than when the cleek is being used, for here again the stroke played is more of a hit. As I have already pointed out-but we cannot be too careful in this respect-there is more rigidity required when playing with an iron club than when playing with a wooden club; but here again stiffness and a cramped style must not be mistaken for the real thing.

The weight of the body, when the stroke is being played, must be allowed to rest on the right leg, and this leg must not be allowed to change its position during the playing of the stroke. If it is so allowed to shift, then the weight goes with it, and the sequel is that the balance is at once destroyed.

As the club is taken up to the top of the swing, the left knee should come slightly forward and inward in the direction of the right leg, and the heel of the left foot should be allowed to leave the ground, but not more than a couple of inches.

In connection with the swing I do not advocate one of so great an extent as with the wooden club, in consequence of the difference in these clubs. The overswing is to be avoided; it will affect the accuracy of the stroke. This, and this alone, is why I have advised such a modification of the rules governing the use of the driver and the brassie.

All players should also cultivate the art of playing various strokes that are calculated to improve their game under different atmospheric conditions. Let us take, as an instance, the game that should be played supposing the golfer were so placed that he must go out or come home in the teeth of a stiff breeze. Even to the meanest intelligence it would be apparent that there would be a very great reason for not playing the ordinary game under these circumstances. The most useful stroke would be that of the low variety, where the ball, instead of soaring high into the air and so being deflected out of its proper course by the force of the wind, is kept near the ground, and so escapes in a great measure all influences save those exercised by the player.

This is about the most telling stroke that is possible to be played with an iron club. When addressing the ball for this kind of shot, the golfer should take up a position in which he is standing closer to, and more over, the ball. The latter should also be nearer the right foot, on an imaginary line that would come almost opposite the right toe. The grip of the club must not show a trace of looseness; it must be firm, and yet not at all cramped. The hands must be thrown still farther forward, so that when the head of the club touches the ball they must be slightly in advance of the latter.

Then, in taking the club back, the head must only be allowed to come but very slightly higher than in a line drawn on a level with the shoulders. The tendency is generally to overswing, and it must be guarded against in this particular stroke, or the intended effect will be altogether lost. The hands must still be kept in a position that may be best described as being thrown out from the body, the wrists should be kept quite stiff, and after the ball is struck, the head of the club must not be allowed to come up in the follow-through, but must follow the line of the ground to an extent almost as far as the arms can reach. It must be steady, too; there must be no jerking or pulling, and if the stroke is played properly the ball will be bound to fly away in the desired direction, keeping low, and so being unaffected by the breeze.

I may perhaps add that the stroke I have just attempted to describe is for the ordinary distance that is generally covered by the iron. If, however, there is any necessity for a greater distance to be covered, then the cleek must be used, although the manner of playing the stroke remains the same.

There is one more shot to be considered. That is the possibility of miscalculation when you are playing a shot from a hundred yards or thereabouts from the hole. In black and white such a distance may not appear so very great, but upon the links it is too real to be trifled with, and a distance over which a mistake may be very readily made.

Should a miscalculation be made, either over the distance to the green or the power of the wind that may be blowing, one of two things will occur. The player either puts too little power behind his stroke, and so does not reach the point aimed at, or he plays too hard, and has the mortification of seeing his ball pitch on the green, but run on and roll into the rougher ground beyond its edge.

I should not care to say which is the lesser of the two evils I have indicated, for very frequently the edges of the green are terrible places, and it means the playing of another good shot to get out of the difficulty you are in. Still, these things have to be faced; even the best player is not proof against misfortune at times, and thus the knowledge of how to play a short approach shot, before being able to use the putter, is a very useful thing indeed. By short approach shots I may mention that I mean shots from a distance of ten or fifteen yards from the hole, the ball being near, but not on the green. These strokes I should usually play with a mashie.

We will suppose, for the sake of argument, that the ground immediately outside the greens is rough and uneven, with long grass, or, as is the case at Westward Ho, bulrushes growing around them. When this is the case it is necessary to use your mashie or an iron, for the ball cannot be played as upon a sandy or loose soil; it must be lofted into the air in order to surmount the difficulties around and in front of it.

In taking up your position to play this short approach shot your right foot must be planted down firmly on a spot very considerably nearer the ball than were you about to play a longer approach shot. In grasping the club there are several inches of the top of the shaft allowed to project beyond the grip, for your fingers close around it at the bottom of the leather by which it is protected, and then in swinging the club is raised in a line that would run level with your knees, the latter being well bent, but not in a too great degree. This position brings the ball very nearly opposite the left foot, then nothing remains but the playing of the stroke. In connection with this I have really nothing to add to what I have already written, beyond the reiteration of my advice upon the subject of the pitched-up approach shot

It is by far the best sort of shot, and the art of playing it will be well repaid in the added confidence and excellence of the game. My previous instructions governing the playing of these shots will also apply to the shorter distances 1 have just spoken of, so I will simply add that if the way to the green is clear of hazards, footprints, grass, or rushes, and the golfer determines to play a running-up approach shot, then he must keep his wrists perfectly rigid and stiff, although he must guard against degenerating into clumsiness