"Iron play is a Science"

An "approach" shot may be defined as one which needs to accomplish a distance less than that of a full drive, and it is therefore less divested of the possibility of securing the hole in the one stroke, though this is a consummation more to be found in the devout desire than in the fulfilment. The term is usually associated with the use of the iron clubs, but the brassey and the baffy are not infrequently called upon in this con-nection. Length of shot is not so desirable as accuracy of distance and direction, and the variation in the distances to be surmounted involves the use of clubs showing differences in the length of the shaft and the angles at which the faces are set. It should be obvious that such diversities are intentional and that each club is intended under dexterous employment to overcome some difficulty.

In the first place, the conditions through the green are naturally less favourable than on the teeing-ground, where the player may arrange his ball to his own liking. Even if his drive has been irreproachably straight, he may become the victim of the bungling of some inconsiderate player who has neglected to repair the sad havoc of his clumsiness and left behind him what is known as a "cupped lie"; again, his ball may have come to rest on a downward slope furnishing him with a "hanging lie." If in an erratic flight it has strayed from the path of rectitude and found its way into thick grass or made a bed for itself in the soft clinging sand of a bunker, the player finds occasion for a display of his best (and sometimes worst) qualities. But in the most favourable circumstances the choice of the right club for the approach to the hole is one which depends mainly on individual aptitude, though judgment of course comes with experience. The interposition of such obstacles as sand-bunkers, ditches, hedges, walls, and occasional sheets of water is not wholly a contribution to artistic effect, but the absence of these obstructions would rob the game of much of its fascination and enjoyment.

The iron clubs usually carried include the cleek, driving mashie, iron, mashie, and niblick, each of which will be considered in its place. In addition there is of course the putter, which has, however, a distinct function of its own and merits a separate chapter. Of the others, it will be well for the beginner to make himself well acquainted with what is best known as the medium iron. He must be prepared at first to sacrifice the additional distance to be gained from the use of the cleek; on the other hand, he stands a better chance of ensuring an accurate style and of paving the way for the more effective use of the cleek or driving mashie. Moreover, the iron is so constantly just the most suitable club for the occasion.