About every beginner at golf who is ambitious to become a good player has two roads open to him. One is to begin at the top and the other is to begin at the bottom. In the first case he will probably work down and in the other he will unquestionably work up. By the top, I refer to the full swing. After a man has mastered that thoroughly so that the right swing has become second nature to him, he is a finished golfer.

Most beginners want to tackle the full swing right at the start. They usually think that the driver is the only really important club in a golf bag. Often when a new pupil comes to me, the first club he picks out is a driver and I fairly have to hide it to keep it away from him.

The full swing is the hardest movement in the game, and a driver or brassie the most difficult of clubs - although not a very promising combination for a beginner. Why start with the most difficult in golf? The wiser method is to follow the lines of least resistance. Start with the simple part of the game, perfect that, and the difficulties will pretty well take care of themselves.

"Why do beginners feel so confident about tackling the full swing?"

They fail to appreciate the foundation upon which it is built. Many people look upon the full swing as a movement quite different from the quarter, half, and three-quarter swings. To them, each one of these is a unit unto itself. They believe that there is no special connection between these four shots.

As a matter of fact they are all one continuous movement which reaches its climax in the full swing. For this reason, you will see the importance of perfecting the short strokes before lengthening out into the full ones. A slight fault in the half swing becomes an exaggerated and very serious fault by the time you have reached the full swing. The only safe way is to perfect your half swing to the point where that fault will not develop at all.

Fig. 33

The club as a pendulum. One of the first principles of how a golf ball is swept off the tee

The beginner who attempts to master the full swing in a minute, hasn't the slightest idea what he is trying to do. On the other hand, the man who starts from small beginnings, and masters each step as he comes to it, has a chance to analyze things and sees the reasons for every movement.

For example, if he is painstaking enough simply to grasp the end of the club grip between the thumb and forefinger and let the club swing back and forth in front of him like a pendulum, he will learn and remember one of the first principles of how a golf ball is swept off the tee. Then he can go ahead and apply it (Fig. 33).

"What club and stroke do you recommend for beginners."

The midiron and a quarter swing with only the left arm is a good starter. Also, leave the ball out of it entirely. Get the knack of the swing first. Some time ago in one of our talks I spoke of the pivoting and balancing exercises, by means of which a man could learn a lot about golf without any club in his hands. I will now take up two exercises in which the club, but no ball is used.

First comes this left arm quarter swing. With the exception of right hand being on hip or at your side, take the proper golf stance, with eye on the imaginary ball, fingers of left hand well hidden on grip, and then swing the club back and forth in a short pendulum like swing, at the same time pivoting to right and left as far as is natural. Keep this exercise up continuously for some time, always just shaving the surface of the ground with the bottom of the club head (Fig. 34).

This exercise gives you the feel of both the club and the short swing. Also it is the best possible means for strengthening the muscles of the left arm. For this reason it is a valuable exercise for advanced golfers as well as beginners to practice now and then. With most people, the right arm is stronger than the left; it is perfectly reasonable to suppose that if both arms were of the same strength they would work in better unison. If you keep at this exercise for some time, the left arm will soon be in condition to do its full share of the work.

FiG. 34

Getting the knack of the swing without hitting the ball

In the next exercise you go through the same movement I have just mentioned, but instead of only one hand, both hands in this case are grasping the club and in regulation golfing style. Swing back and forth, back and forth, always shaving the ground at the centre of the arc. When you fail to connect with the ground, it probably means that you have raised up; if you dig up the ground, you are bending over too far. I mention these as only two of several golf faults that you can correct before you have ever hit a ball. There are many others.

If there is any one exercise a man can practice that will make a finished golfer out of him, this is the one. For here you are playing the game in all its essentials; only the ball is lacking. The full swing is merely a continuation of the short movement you are going through. I call this exercise, "shaving the mat"; in giving lessons I place a door mat in front of a pupil. Anybody can use the same scheme in his own home. Even advanced golfers would do well to come back to this simple exercise whenever they find themselves getting off their game (Fig. 35).

Fig. 35

Making the correct way a habit: the "shaving the mat" exercise

It isn't always easy for beginners to connect with the surface of the mat. In most cases they swing through thin air or dig into the mat, at first. Then they begin to take stock of their faults with the result that they become more accurate. After the right way has become a habit, one can take his eyes off the mat and look out of the window if he wishes, while going through this exercise; and on every back and forward stroke, the club head shaves the mat as neatly as can be.

"Why not let a beginner start out hitting balls with this short stroke?"

Even in this short stroke, when a man starts right in hitting the ball he is liable to develop unnecessary faults. The average beginner will chop at the ball rather than sweep it away from him. The "shaving the mat" exercise is the sweeping movement of the finished golfer. Needless to say it's better to make this correct movement of golf a habit, rather than the fault of chopping. If the pupil never finds out that such a fault as chopping exists, so much the better for him.

A beginner can't give too much time to this exercise; the more attention he gives it, the better his game will eventually become. After he has become fairly accurate at this, he can proceed to the practice of actually hitting balls with the quarter and half swing. But he should always take full stock of his faults as they appear and not allow them to get any further. By slow degrees he can continue back to the three-quarter and then the full swing.