That is the only difference I have been able to discover between us, and there is very little in that, the conformation of the hands and knuckles being apparently the only reason for this slight variation.

My grip, briefly described, is as follows: When I have the club in my hands the thumb of my left hand is kept down the shaft, and it is entirely covered by the palm of my right hand; then the little finger of this last-mentioned hand is over the forefinger of the left hand, with the thumb of the other hand curled around the shaft, and not upon it. Quite a delightfully difficult performance this, as I have described it; but by a reference to the illustration of my grip and by gripping a club as I have pointed out, anyone can readily see exactly what I mean.

I always place my right hand about an inch above the spot where the leather covering of the club terminates, my idea in doing this being that it is the best means of discovering the right balance as far as the club is concerned. Still, this grip of mine is not orthodox, as generally understood, so I repeat I do not recommend its adoption, although a trial may not be amiss when the regulation grip has been practised and learnt.

This explanation having been made, I may proceed, without further delay, to a description of the generally recognised or orthodox method of gripping the club. This, of course, is not open to much argument or discussion, and particularly is it so as far as the left hand is concerned.

When taking up his position in order to address the ball, the player must exercise care in seeing that no looseness exists, but that, on the contrary, he is, with his left hand, gripping the club firmly, the hand being held in such a way that the fingers are quite out of sight, excepting the third joint of the first finger and the joint of the thumb.

Should the left hand be so placed that it is held underneath, then the player will find it an almost, if not quite, impossible task to get a perfectly natural and easy swing. The old theory regarding the right hand - the rule that formerly existed amongst golfers - is that the right hand should not grip the club too closely; in fact, it should be held fairly loose. I cannot say I am in perfect agreement with those who advocate this method of grip, but I am equally as certain that I should never advise the right hand to be held too tightly and as rigid as though it were screwed up to the full amount of tension.

My contention is simply this: that the grasp of the right hand upon the club must be sufficiently firm in itself to hold it steady and true, but it must not be allowed on any account to overpower the left. The idea is that the latter arm must exercise the predominating influence in every stroke that may O be played. As regards my own position in the matter, my grip with either hand is very firm, yet I should hesitate before I told every golfer to go and do likewise.

To sum up the matter, I should describe the orthodox manner of gripping with the right in the following words: The fingers must close around the club in such a way that provision is made for the thumb to cover and cross the shaft, the first joints of the fingers, providing this is done, being just in sight. Nothing more or nothing less. This is the grip generally accepted as being orthodox, and the one generally favoured by the majority of those who decide to follow up the game properly. But, as is the case in everything which is favoured by any considerable number of enthusiasts, there are those who, untrammelled by tradition, break away and hold the club differently, with one hand at least.

Take, as an instance, the case of Mr. John Ball, jun. This gentleman - one of the leading golfers of the day - holds the club firmly, not to say tightly, in the palm of his right hand. Well, he has discovered that this does not detrimentally affect his play, so I presume that may be taken as a satisfactory proof that the orthodox way may sometimes be departed from. Then, after Mr. Ball, I might mention the name of Mr. Edward Blackwell. He is almost certainly the most consistently good long driver we possess now, and his unorthodox method of grip with the right hand has not affected his play. Truth to tell, something must be allowed in respect of differences of styles, and that is where the services of a good coach are most to be desired.

ADDRESSING THE BALL FOR FULL DRIVE.

Minute matters of detail may escape the eye of the many, but it is the duty and the privilege of the tutor to discover these little things, and once discovered, to blend them into a powerful whole.

After the grip of the club we come to the position which must be taken up prior to the playing of the opening stroke-the drive from the tee. Here again a hard and fast rule cannot be laid down with exactitude, for the player must necessarily discover for himself the best distance at which to stand from the ball. The golfer with an extended reach cannot take the exhortation of King Canute, "Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther," and the same remark applies equally well to the shorter player. No, each man must try the distance for himself, and there should not be overmuch difficulty experienced in finding it, while keeping the intended direction of the flight of the ball steadfastly before him. Never allow your attention to stray from this, for it is one of the most potent factors in the ultimate success or failure of your game.

This, however, does not make the task of advising the young player any the less difficult, for no matter who the instructor may be, he cannot lay down any rule of thumb. There is no royal road to the acquisition of this knowledge. The golfer must discover the proper and requisite distance, unaided by anything save his own powers of reasoning and thinking the matter out. Hints are all that can be offered, practice and adaptability are really the two things required.