Having satisfied himself that he knows exactly how the club should be gripped, the player should practise the movement, preliminary to the swing, inelegantly described as the "waggle." Much is to be gained from the waggle treated as an exercise. The waggle should be performed, not aimlessly, but by the conscious application of power by the ringers. The golfer should move the club-head backward, and then move it forward, thinking only of producing the movement by finger work. He will soon become at ease with his grip and on good terms with his club; he will get the "feel" of the club, and become conscious of an increasing command over its movements. In doing this exercise he must determine -

(1) to grip the club firmly in the forefingers and thumbs.

(2) to keep every other part of the body relaxed, notably the wrists, arms, and shoulders.

(3) to apply the motive power continuously, persistently, by the fingers.

If these three points are observed, then.

(a) the body can never lead; and

(b) the body will always follow.

The player will quickly become an expert waggler, and he can then extend the waggle until it becomes a complete backward and forward swing. If the same principles be always borne in mind, the shoulders will turn and the knees will bend in due time and place.

This backward and forward swinging (which incidentally is an excellent physical drill) rapidly promotes that sense of balance and that feeling of control over the club which hundreds of rounds of golf often fail to give; and no matter how expert the golfer may be, no matter how much he may be "on his game," he cannot fail to derive advantage from the exercise, provided that it is performed, never perfunctorily or carelessly, but always with the resolve that the three fundamental principles of grip, relaxation, and finger work shall be consciously and conscientiously carried out. The exercise so practised will produce not only freedom and certainty of movement, but that habit of mental concentration which golf demands as much as anything else in life, whether work or play.

Fig. 24. - Quarter shot.

Fig. 25. - Half shot.

Fig. 26. - Full iron shot.

If the body and mind are constantly trained in this manner, the actual hitting of the ball is not likely to present any grave difficulty. Naturally, the very presence of the ball will tempt the golfer to forget one or more of the three articles of faith, and he will often fall before the temptation; but so long as he realizes that the failure of the shot must be due to the failure to observe one or more of the three articles of faith, and to nothing else, and is to be cured by due observation of those articles and by nothing else, his progress in the game will not be long delayed.