The first steps to be mastered in the use of the driver are (1) the position to be taken up in relation to the ball, and (2) the grip of the club. These are so closely associated that it matters little or nothing which is studied first, but for convenience' sake, we will deal with the latter before learning to establish a correct understanding between the head of the club and the ball. The multiplicity of conditions makes it inevitable that no undeviating rule can be laid down as to these and other particulars, yet, on the other hand, it must be borne in mind that there are certain guiding principles which must not be departed from. The correct grip is far from being so easy a matter as it may appear, and the beginner is urged to use the utmost patience in this first essential of a sound game. There is probably no fault more difficult of correction than that of a defective handling of the club.

There are two grips in vogue, best styled as the old and the new; the accompanying diagrams will probably furnish a more correct notion of each than an elaborate description. The "old" grip is that mainly used by the older class of players; the other has the imprimatur of the great triumvirate of golfers -Braid, Vardon and Taylor. If the tyro is in a position to avail himself of the tuition of a first-rate professional player and teacher who adopts the latter method, he cannot do better than take his advice upon the matter. It is imperative, however, that he should possess very strong fingers; in any case, it would be unwise for him to dispense with the old-fashioned grip if he has already attained success with it.

THE OLD GRIP                                  THE NEW GRIP

Let us first deal with the orthodox or usual grip. The club must be taken firmly in the left hand, and throughout the stroke it must be held more tightly than with the right. It must not be gripped in the same manner as a "striking" implement, like the riding-whip, by tightly grasping it in the palms. It should lie along the bottom sections of the fingers (and not in the palms), with the rest of the fingers closing over the handle, the greatest pressure being exerted by the two forefingers of each hand. To put it briefly, the club should be gripped as if it were a rope. The adjustment and relative position of the hands must not be overlooked; the left hand takes hold of the club so as to leave clear an inch or two of the end. (One is, of course, dealing with right-handed players.) It is a great mistake to grip the club too low, but the amount of free end will be found by the feel or balance of the club as it rests in the hands.

The club must be held so that the knuckles of the left hand point towards the direction in which the ball is intended to travel, and the thumb has a natural inclination to rest downwards along the shaft. The thumb, however, should lightly close round the shaft to the right. This position being taken, it will be seen that the shape of an inverted "V" is disclosed, and as this is repeated in the case of the right hand, this method has earned the description of the "two-V" grip. The right hand is brought up as closely as possible to the left in much a corresponding position, with the tops of the fingers pointing upwards with a slight inclination to the left. Particular care must be taken to avoid turning the knuckles of the left hand towards the ground, as it will be found that this arrangement will cramp the wrist movement in the swinging back of the club.

It has already been advised to hold the club more firmly in the left than the right, but this must not be overdone. Indeed, some of the best players confess to an equally firm grip with each hand, but the best course to follow is to use the right with just sufficient grasp to keep the club steady and true. While the function of the right is to control the direction of the swing, that of the left is to furnish force and power, and so the influence of the former must not predominate over the latter. In any case, the grip must not be excessive; otherwise, the resultant tautness of the muscles of the wrist and arms will impede their action and a free swing will be impossible. A "comfortable" grip is a good test of the amount of tension.

In the "new" grip, the club is taken in the left hand in much the same way as in the "old," with the thumb resting along the shaft, a little to the right of its axis. The right hand is then brought into such close contiguity with the left that it encloses the thumb of the latter, and the left forefinger is well held by the little finger of the right. The advantage claimed by this arrangement is the maximum co-operation of the two hands towards a perfect combination - a two in one and one in two, so to speak.

A variation of the "new" grip is effected by the interlocking of the forefinger of the left with the little finger of the right, and is only mentioned as a thing to be avoided by all but gifted persons possessed with supreme self-confidence. "Fancy" grips are only to be affected by those whose natural and acquired faculties place them on a higher plane of golfing mortals and who, like your Shakespeare or Whistler or Wagner, can take liberties with conventional modes.

A middle course between the "old" and the "new" methods is recommended for effective results. Let the right hand be brought close up to the left, so that it does not enclose the thumb of the latter, with the top piece of the little finger of the right just closing round the protruding joint of the forefinger of the left. This gives complete freedom and checks any undue grip with the right hand, while allowing that amount of looseness compatible with proper guiding control and muscular play of the wrists and forearms.