HAVING called attention to the possibility of falling into the faults of topping, slicing, and so on, possibly it would be as well were I to explain why these things occur. "Topping" a ball is one of the most general faults, particularly so when a beginner is concerned. He does it, but he cannot explain why. As the club is drawn back in the swing a novice very frequently straightens his back and legs, probably by an involuntary action. The result is that his eye is shifted from the proper spot. The alteration in the sight of the ball is the primary cause of the topping.

To render this act impossible, and to get rid of the habit once and for all, the player should bear clearly in mind that when playing a shot the knees should be allowed to bend just a little, but that they must not be straightened during the actual playing of the stroke.

Another thing is that the head itself, together with the upper part of the body, represented by the neck and shoulders, should be kept tightly under control, and in an almost immovable position. The level at which the stroke is commenced should be maintained right through. If this is not done, then a certain amount of unsteadiness is brought into the play, and a poor or bad stroke is the sequel.

Quite as important a method of curing the topping habit is the keeping of the eye firmly riveted upon a spot situated just behind the ball when preparing to strike it, instead of looking directly at it. Provided the lines I have indicated are followed out, then the habit will be rapidly eradicated.

Another vice that is quite commonly met with in the ranks of the beginners is "sclaffing." In this case the fault is certainly not so glaringly bad as some of the others. The ball is hit, but not in a clear sweep, as should be the case. The head of the club is allowed to sweep along the surface of the ground before the ball is reached, consequently the stroke is neither powerful nor accurate.

I have studied these faults closely, and in my opinion the cause is that the player in the majority of instances brings his club back in the swing in a too direct or straight line. The natural consequence is that when it is brought down again it must needs come down too straight, instead of with the perfect circular sweep.

Looking for the cause of this straight handling of the club, my opinion is that too much right hand is brought into the action of swinging. If a player is bent upon ridding himself of this habit of sclaffing, he must make an effort to draw the club back around the legs, as I described in making the drive from the tee, and in addition he must see that he does not impart too much vigour into the grip of his right hand.

The next fault I shall deal with is that termed "duffing," a colloquial expression for skying the ball If the shot is watched at all closely it will be seen that the head of the club is dug sharply into the ground, just behind the ball, the latter being generally struck by the upper part, and in some instances the extreme top edge of the head.

Such a stroke as this naturally sends the ball high into the air, and the force being wasted, the ball describes a curve, and dropping, is found not so very far removed from its previous position. The cause of this duffing is exactly opposed to the mistake made when topping.

When the player is bringing his club down he allows his right shoulder to drop out of its former and proper position, and so he is on a much lower level than when he was engaged in addressing the ball. To cure this habit is quite easy. Keep your right shoulder perfectly steady, and nothing of an untoward nature will occur. Drop it even a little, and you are duffing your shots again. That is the distinction and the difference.

As regards "slicing" a ball, that is a fault that affects even the best players of the day occasionally. Indifferent and poor performers are apt, of course, to suffer from it in a more virulent form; it is, I think, one of the most frequent faults to be met with upon any course in the country There is no mistaking the cause of a sliced ball - there is but one thing that is capable of producing this effect.

This is the more or less involuntary action on the player's part of drawing his hands in the direction of his body as the club descends. In describing this I said involuntary advisedly; were it otherwise the leading amateurs and professionals would seldom, if ever, be affected in this way.

This drawing of the hands in toward the body imparts a twist, or rather a rotatory motion to the ball after it is struck, just in the same way as "side" is imparted to the billiard ball - the ball flies away to the right, much to the chagrin of the player. The severity of this curl will vary according to the amount of twist upon the ball as it starts upon its flight, but it will in every case come round to the right if sliced.

The cure for the slice is for the player to cultivate a perfect freedom of his arms, to throw them at the ball, if I may be allowed to express my meaning in these terms. The greatest freedom is necessary, and that I have found to be the best method of securing it when I have been engaged in teaching.

Yet another of this long list of troubles is the vice of "pulling" a ball. It must be checked whenever noticed, for despite the fact that a ball that is pulled may travel quite as far, very possibly farther, than one that has been struck properly, there is the loss of direction to be taken into consideration.

If golf were played upon a perfectly level expanse of turf, free from all encumbrances, this would not matter overmuch, but a loss of direction may mean the discovery of the ball snugly ensconced in a bunker or something of that sort. Upon any course such a thing is possible; upon a narrow course it is more than probable. A player cannot afford to accept risks such as these.

You need not go far in order to discover the cause of a pulled bail. Your right hand comes into the stroke at the last moment, it takes the greater part of the work, and the left hand is in a measure overpowered. It may be the grip is too hard on the part the right hand, or that the grasp of the left hand is relaxed unconsciously; whichever it is, the result is the same.

In connection with this I might also add just a few words to what I have already said about the grip, orthodox and otherwise. I described my method of gripping the club, also Harry Vardon's, but I recommended neither. There is this, however, to be said in favour of the interlocked grips to which we have succumbed naturally, that they will prevent in a great measure both the slicing and the pulling of a ball. Both right and left wrists work in perfect unison ; there is no distinction between them, and they cannot work or move in opposite directions. Here I leave this question of grip, and proceed with another difficulty that has wrecked many a promising score in the past and will do so again in the future.

I refer to the hazard. All golfers, at one time or the other, must discover their ball has sought a hazard, and it is all-necessary that a little consideration should be given to the question, "How shall I best get out ?"

First it is clearly understood that the ball is in a bunker, and it is necessary that the case shall be carefully handled. Under these circumstances it is useless your going blindly at the shot and trusting to your good fortune to pull you through.

Your aim when bunkered is to get out of the difficulty as cheaply as possible. You may, probably will, find it necessary to lose one stroke, but in giving this stroke you should see that you secure a good lie for your next shot. That is the real art of surmounting this difficulty, whereas, should you go at things blindly, you are apt to become flurried, and once that happens all is over. It is not one stroke you lose, but several; you are very frequently in a worse position near the end than at the beginning. I repeat, keep cool, and think the matter over before you play.

Let it be supposed that your ball is lying right at the foot of a steep-faced bunker of an artificial character, such as may be found at many of the inland courses, or of a natural character upon any of the links situated at the seaside. It is clearly a case then of your not being able to play straight out, so you must needs cast about for another means of reaching the turf at an easier angle, either from the right or the left. In a natural bunker there are frequently breaks in the edges that will assist you, but in an artificial bunker there are none of these aids.

At all events, you have to leave the hazard somehow. Possibly you may have to play back, as you are in such a position that nothing else is possible. But you must never overlook contingencies, and should you find it necessary to play back, do it in a way that will not render the next shot of a difficult nature. If it is an absolute impossibility to get out at right or left, play back, but get your ball far enough away from the bunker to leave yourself an easy shot for your next stroke.

Playing the correct kind of stroke when in a bunker is not a too easy matter for a beginner, for it differs considerably from the method pursued at the tee or through the green. Strictly speaking, the club is not swung at all, for the ball cannot be swept. Usually the niblick, but very frequently also the mashie is used, but whichever it may be, it is taken back almost upright, and brought down in the same way. Aim, however, must not be taken at the ball; were you to hit it directly, it would simply mean you still remained in the bunker. You must place your blow upon a spot behind the ball, using your judgment in case the sand is hard or soft. If the former, an inch may be sufficiently distant, but the softer it is the farther back must you hit.

Plant your feet firmly in the sand and grip the club firmly, but not to such an extent as to cramp you. Keep your eye upon the exact spot where you intend your niblick or mashie to land, and then hit! Don't move your eye if you wish to earn success. Get your gaze upon one particular speck of sand.