In order to produce this shot the golfer is usually instructed to turn over the right hand on, or immediately after, hitting the ball. If, however, the player concentrates on this turning over of the right hand as a thing in itself, he is not likely to obtain good results. He will probably turn the hand over too soon, too late, or too much, and his action will probably be stiff and artificial. The proper shot can be consistently produced only when the shot is made from the proper point of view; and in the run-up, as in every other shot, the player must get down to the essence of the matter. What is the essence of the run-up? What are the characteristics that leap to the eye when the shot is played by an expert? First, consider the flight of the ball. The ball rises but little from the turf, and the inference is that it has been struck by a club with little loft or by a club whose loft has been to some extent neutralized by the stance, the address, and the action of the player. It runs a long distance after striking the turf, and the inference is that it has been hit without any suspicion of "jabbing" or "stabbing." This inference, moreover, is strengthened by the fact that the ball travels very evenly and steadily and goes further than it appears to have the power to do. Now, observe carefully the action and stance of the player. His weight is forward on the left leg, the ball is toward his right foot, and consequently his hands, when he addresses the ball, are in front of it. This is exactly the position one would expect after watching the flight and run of the ball. The up-swing is short, slow, and deliberate, and the down-swing is short, slow, and deliberate - the movement is even and delicately controlled from beginning to end. The club-head almost caresses the ball; if it is slow to reach the ball, it is loth to leave it.

It is by drawing attention to these points that Ernest Jones teaches the run-up. Clearly visualize the shot, gain control of the club in the fingers, then play the shot. It is the fact that the right hand turns over to some extent, but that turning over is only an incident in the shot. It is not the essence of the matter. The essence of the matter is a clear conception of the nature of the shot, and that sense of "touch"which can only be obtained by means of finger control. It is quite easy to turn over the right hand without having any real control of the club whatsoever - one has only to observe the game of the average amateur to realize that this is so. The golfer must, if he is to do any good, learn to differentiate between symptoms and causes, and he must always be on the alert against the teacher who directs him to try to reproduce symptoms.

The Pitch, Pitch And Run, Push Shot, Etc

What has been said of the run-up is equally applicable, with the necessary changes, to all the other shots. The player should first closely observe the behaviour of the ball, then the attitude and action of the expert as he makes the shot - always correlating the two things, effect and cause. Then, if he has acquired control of the club in his fingers, he will have no difficulty in expressing what he has in his mind. And that is the essence of golf.