In attempting this proper distance the beginner, in the majority of instances, does one of two things. He either gets too near the ball, or goes to the other extreme, while occasionally he gets the distance by placing the head of the club behind the tee in such a position that the heel is brought into contact with the ball at one extremity, while the end of the shaft just reaches the left knee.

This is a method pursued by a beginner only. As soon as a golfer begins to feel at ease with the game, nothing of measurement is necessary. Intuition plays a big part then. He knows what he has done and what he has not done, and learns to calculate the perfect distance by reason of the results of his earlier attempts, and he drops almost automatically into the proper position, modifying the distance between the ball and himself to suit his requirements.

A word of caution might, however, not be entirely misplaced here. The golfer should exercise care in playing the ball, for should the distance at which he is standing prove to be too great, then he falls forward and inclines toward the tee, while, on the other hand, should he be too close, then he will find it impossible to make the best use of himself, the consequence being that his action becomes cramped and stilted. But as I have said, the persevering golfer will soon discover the correct distance by means of practice. Care is simply required in the earlier stages, for a bad habit once formed is terribly difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate.

Full Drive Top of Swing Frost Position.

When preparing to drive do not think too much about your position, in case overcaution breeds a stiffness; but take up your stand easily, with the feet not too far apart, as in this case power is lost and the style degenerates into awkward poses. On the other hand, if too close, you are apt to become unsteady and not properly balanced. The happy medium must be gauged, and, once secured, it will not be readily forgotten.

In the actual case of driving it is a debatable point whether the playing off the right leg is better than playing off the left. I have already touched upon this, so I need scarcely say more than that the question still remains an unsettled one. Many players have many pet theories; but it is an actual fact that the popularity of driving off the left leg is upon the wane, and it is not so frequently seen now as was the case a few years back.

The style prevailing at the present day is what I think I may describe as the open style, by which I mean that the ball is placed almost equally distant from either leg, but inclining, if anything, toward the left.

That is simply the style, not my recommendation of it; for, personally speaking, I play off the right leg. In doing this I am followed in a certain degree by Harry Vardon, although he does not display such an inclination to make use of the right leg as is shown in my own case. Braid, again, who holds the position of being one of the longest drivers in the professional ranks at the present time, plays the fairly open game; but even he plays off the right leg more than from the left.

Again reverting to my own particular predilection, I certainly should not play in the style I do, from the right leg, unless I had thoroughly tested it and had satisfied myself that it was preferable to any other. My settled opinion is that the man who plays off the right leg has possessed himself of a great advantage. By so doing you may lose just a little as regards the distance covered by your drive, but even that is a debatable point. At all events, I have found that even if this should be the case you gain in another way by the additional accuracy you secure over the direction in which you play; and beyond all shadow of doubt the player off the right leg obtains a far greater control over the ball than were he to play off the left leg. Greater accuracy and greater control - are these not well worth an effort to secure?

FINISH OF SWING. FULL DRIVE.

Thus we get the grip of the club and the position in which a player should best stand in order to drive off the tee. And after these, what then? The swing-undoubtedly the most important thing in the education of a golfer. And ponder over it well, the most difficult of all the many things which have necessarily to be acquired.

But although I have no hesitation in pointing out its difficulty, to the determined all things are rendered easy just by reason of their determination - if not exactly to do or die, yet to follow up a thing, no matter how hard it may appear at the first glance or the first trial, until it loses its terrors, degree by degree, then the golfer discovers to his joy that use has become second nature.

In making a stroke in golf the beginner must feel assured that the correct method of playing is not the making of a hit - as such a performance is understood - but the effort of making a sweep. This is an all-important thing, and unless a player thoroughly understands that he must play in this style, I cannot say I think the chance of his ultimate success is a very great one. It is an absolute necessity, this sweep, and I cannot lay too much stress upon it.

As a more practical illustration of my meaning, I will suppose that the player is preparing to diive. His position is correct, he is at the exact distance from the ball. All that is then necessary is that with a swinging stroke he should sweep the ball off the tee. But, if in place of accomplishing this sweep the ball is hit off the tee - well, that may be a game, but it certainly does not come under the heading of golf.

Prior to the act of sweeping the ball away toward the green that must be reached is the preliminary flourish with which a player addresses his ball. "Waggle," if not so elegant, would perhaps best convey the meaning of this preliminary, the wielder of the club "waggling" it in order, not only to shake up and loosen his joints, shoulders, wrists, and elbows, but to assist him in getting into position at the most favourable distance from the tee.

But in doing this flourish care must be exercised that it is not carried to too great an extreme. Mannerisms attach themselves very closely to different players, and it is very decidedly so in this case, for I have seen golfers of really first-class excellence shake the head of their club across and over the tee for at least a dozen times before they make up their minds to swing round for the stroke proper.

Top of swing. full drive. from behind: showing position of hands and right elbow.

Such a procedure as this is nothing but a mistake. Just a shake is quite sufficient to assist the arms to secure the necessary degree of freedom, but if such an exercise is carried too far it but defeats its own object. The eye cannot stand the strain, small though it may appear at the time, the optic nerve becomes fatigued, and to succeed in keeping the eye unswervingly upon the ball is the one and only real secret of success in golf.