In the holding or gripping of the club, the fingers must be allowed to play a very prominent part, for the palm of the hand should not be used for the purpose of grasping it. It must be held firmly, but not too tightly, or the style will become cramped. Care, however, must be exercised that the club is not held too loosely, for in that case when a shot is attempted the club may turn and twist in the act of playing.

Delicacy of touch is what is required in putting ; that is why a lady is generally a good putter. Haphazard play or a clumsy grip is of no purpose whatever ; for this reason I have suggested the grasp of the fingers in place of the palms of the hands. This gives a greater degree of lightness and spring, and this delicacy goes a very long way toward a successful attempt.

In making a stroke, too, I would advise a player not to spend too great a time over its consideration. "He who hesitates is lost," and this is frequently found to be the case in putting, although, on the other hand, it may be pleaded there are many good players who are deliberate and slow in their actions when putting. Here, again, I may be pardoned for instancing the case of a billiard player and the making of a difficult shot. A certain moment must arrive when hand and eye are in perfect unison ; that is the opportunity that should be seized, but should you fail to take advantage of it, my advice would be to wait a while and then start afresh. Delav may be dangerous if carried beyond a reasonable limit, but it is equally as certain that too much haste is inadvisable.

In putting a player must not allow his eye to wander from the ball. The secret of success lies in this, that the eye must be firmly fixed upon the ball while it is hit, otherwise the stroke will deviate, and the slightest deviation is fatal. There is an unex-plainable sensation known to and recognised by every golfer in putting : you are certain you have found the right way to the hole as you strike your ball without glancing in its direction.

In playing precautions must be taken to ensure that the ball is not pulled at all. When a putt is missed, it will be generally found that the ball goes off the line and deviates to the left. The cause of this, in my opinion, is that a great many players, just at the moment their club strikes the ball, pull their arms in. Probably they do this unconsciously, but it is none the less a fact, and so the ball is pulled in varying degrees. A player should see that his arms follow right through upon the line taken by the ball in the direction of the hole; then, and then only, will this pulling tendency be overcome.

Putting from a distance is yet another of those matters that must be closely studied. It is here that strength is even more important than direction, for should a player be faced by a ten or fifteen yards putt, then it is that he must be careful. The object of his stroke must be to make an absolute certainty of the hole at his next, so he must see that he is up, and yet guard against a tendency to play too hard. He must putt in such a style that he lays the ball dead ; that means he will hole it at his next attempt. But it must not be assumed that this feat is quite easy of accomplishment. Many good players are inclined to be weak in this respect, although it is a particularly useful accomplishment to have at your fingers' ends.

PLAYING THE CUT BALL ROUND.

In playing these long putts and attempting to lay the ball dead, you should also give yourself a chance of snatching the hole, for fortune may be inclined to smile upon you. What I mean is this, that your putt should be strong enough to reach the hole and perhaps overrun it slightly, but not so powerful that the ball goes too far for the next stroke. Very frequently, when a player gets his ball up, he sees it disappear in the hole. This could not happen were he to be satisfied by getting within a foot or so short of the hole.

It is only when you are concentrating your attention upon a holeable putt that strength has to play a subsidiary part to direction. In playing such a stroke as this I would strongly advise all golfers to take what is known as a line to the hole. There are those who are perfectly satisfied, and are under the impression that they secure the best results, by putting direct at the hole, but I do not recommend their plan in the slightest.

I think it is an error to play in such a way, it is too haphazard; and to be successful in golf a player must be systematic in his methods. So I repeat, take a line for the hole when you are near enough to hope to succeed in securing it. To get this line there are alternative methods that may be pursued, one being to take an object that may be situated a foot or so in front of the ball, while another is to select an object that lies about equidistant from the ball and the hole. The majority of golfers follow the last-named plan, although I have been unable to discover what advantage it possesses in particular over the former. Either, indeed, may be followed; each player may consult his own predilection.

There is but one thing I might add, and that is, should the equidistant plan be selected by a player, he should carefully note both the line from the ball to the hole and from the hole to the ball. Sometimes it appears as though there were two distinct lines, and should this be the case, my decided advice is to follow the line you notice from the hole to the ball. In saying this I am supported by the system followed out by Willie Park. He is quite at the head of his profession as far as putting is concerned, and his method of play is just as I have advised above. It has been tried, tested, and found to be a success. Nothing more need be said.

Delay is also just as dangerous over the getting of the line for a putt as in putting itself. Too much time should not be spent in closely examining the possible routes to the hole; it is generally the first glance that best repays the player. Should he hesitate and take another look, it is more than probable that he will discover a perfect net of lines, become confused, unsteady, and finally play and drop a stroke. My suggestion is that a player should ascertain the line with the least delay possible, walk up to his ball, cast one glance along the line of the putt from the ball to the hole, and then play without a moment's hesitation. Do not be snatchy or hasty ; simply recollect that a too long period of inaction is apt to breed doubt, so play as soon as you are certain of your direction.

There are no fancy shots in golf, properly speaking but there are strokes closely approaching them that are sometimes necessary when a player is about to hole out. It is possible that he may discover himself stymied. To the uninitiated he may be in an impossible position, but to a skilful player nothing is impossible, and he may be able to hole out, despite the fact that he has to pass his opponent's ball on the way. The beginner would undoubtedly fail to negotiate the easiest stymie, but he must needs learn some day.

I will suppose that a player discovers his opponent's ball to be directly between his own ball and the hole. To reach the latter it is necessary that he should loft his ball over the other. To do this he should take up a position in which the right foot is advanced considerably, while the greater portion of the weight of the body is supported upon the left leg. The ball is opposite the left foot, the head of the mashie is allowed to lie quite flat upon the turf, and the grip of the shaft is low down, the right hand coming just below the leather.

Then, exactly as the club strikes the ball, the wrists must be turned in an upward direction smartly. The result of this is that the ball is lofted over the other, and if hit properly, it will run on and go out of sight as intended.

In another case a player may discover his opponent's ball is upon the line to the hole, but rather inclined to the right in place of being directly in the way. This being so, it is not necessary to pitch one ball over the other, for the difficulty may be surmounted by simply playing round. To accomplish this, all that is necessary is for a spot to the left of the intervening ball to be aimed at, while the putter is turned to the right, and the heel of the club is brought into use for striking the ball.

At the moment of striking the club should be brought across sharply and smoothly; a certain amount of "side" or "bias" is so set up, and the ball describes a curve that carries it clear of the obstruction, and so on to the hole.