Estimating roughly, those shots that are made from any spot within one hundred and twenty yards of the green may be called approach shots. A well-directed stroke with the brassie from, say, one hundred and seventy-five yards from the pin, may deliver the ball upon the green, but, in such a fortunate circumstance, the player has not in reality made an approach shot; she has luckily or skillfully eliminated the necessity of making one.

There is no more exasperating shot in the game of golf than the very short approach. When the ball lies within ten or fifteen yards of the green it would seem that almost any player could get it not only on the green but also within easy putting distance of the hole. That such a feat is not nearly so easy as it appears, even experienced players will testify. With the possible exception of the short put, there is no shot in the game of golf so easy to miss as the short approach. The fact, that, on the whole, women are much more inaccurate in playing this stroke than men proves again to us that lack of strength is not women's greatest handicap, but that her besetting sin is lack of firmness and exactness. From observation of the average woman golfer, I should say that, in playing these delicate and difficult approach shots, her greatest fault lies in making a too extended backward swing. As in putting, the length of the swing should be determined by the distance of the ball from the hole. When a player carries her club back too far she must bring it forward very gently in order to avoid overrunning the green, and this enforced gentleness invariably becomes looseness and uncertainty. Approach shots must be made with great firmness and decision or the player loses all control of the ball. Like everything else in golf, the attainment of even a fair amount of accuracy comes only after much practice, but the woman who has carefully built up her short game will find herself amply rewarded for her trouble. The feeling of satisfaction that comes from seeing the ball rise in the air, soar over a bunker and drop dead within a few feet of the pin is greater, I believe, than that which follows a long and beautiful drive. Certainly the fact that a player has such a shot at her command is a better guarantee of a low score than the fact that she can drive a long ball. Too much importance cannot be placed on the necessity of playing a good short game. There is nothing more disheartening than to arrive within twenty yards of the green, after having made a fine drive and good brassie shot, and then to fall short of the green by a miserable approach shot. The likelihood of making the hole in four is gone and it is more than probable that, in such a situation, the player will take two puts and hole out in six. It is on and about the green that strokes are mercilessly added to the player's score, and it is for that reason that the short game is the test that differentiates the expert player from the ordinary performer.

Approach shots may be divided into three classes: the run-up; the pitch-and-run; and the pure pitch. I have used the terms "runup," "pitch-and-run," and "pure pitch," rather arbitrarily. Unfortunately the terminology of golf is somewhat deficient in clearness. Writers of golf books and articles frequently ascribe to a word or an expression quite different meanings, and from this lack of uniformity arises a certain confusion in the reader's mind. In order that there shall be no misapprehension in this case I should, perhaps, define what I mean by the terms that I have adopted. According to my classification of these shots a "run-up" approach is one during which the ball is not intended to leave the ground; a "pitch-and-run" is one which combines the ball's flight through the air with a calculated run; and a "pure pitch" is one in which the ball rises into the air and drops with as little run as possible.

Which of these shots the player shall employ must be decided by her own judgment. The factors to be taken into consideration are the distance to be covered, the character and condition of the ground over which the ball must travel, the peculiarities of the green, and the presence or absence of wind. There can be no hard and fast rule laid down on this subject because there are so many conditions that must be taken into account. The goal to be striven for is that the player shall have all three shots absolutely at her command and use the one that seems best in the circumstance in which she finds herself.

The clubs that are used for these shots are many and various. Beginning with the putter, they proceed through all the degrees of slope-back and weight until the extreme is reached in the niblick. The club most frequently used is the mashie in one or another of its numerous styles. The putter, the jigger, the cleek, the light mid-iron and the niblick all have their places and their uses, so it depends greatly upon the individual player to decide which club meets her requirements best and with which she can do the most effective work. If the ball lies a few yards off the green, and the turf before it is smooth and even, the player may take her putter and treat the situation as though she were running down a long put. If, on the other hand, the ball has a bad lie, must cross a bunker, or must rise abruptly to a plateau green, it is very probable that the niblick is the club that she will select to help her out of the difficulty. The important point is that she shall know the possibilities of each club and use the one that is best adapted to the work at hand. Too much cannot be said in urging the necessity of knowing at all times exactly what to expect of each club, and especially when an approach shot is to be made. If the ground is examined carefully, the kind of shot determined, and the club selected wisely, then the difficulties of approaching are well on their way to solution.

The question of whether the running-up style of shot or the pitch shot shall be used must be left to individual decision. No really good player invariably uses either the one or the other, but, given a situation where legitimate reasons for using either one can be urged, some players will invariably favor the run-up and others the pitch, according to their personal predilection. The wisest plan is to be master of both but slave to neither. Possibly a player is unconsciously prejudiced in favor of the stroke that she can manage best and in doing which she feels most confidence in herself. However that may be, it is interesting to observe that Braid is very serious in urging that the run-up or pitch-and-run should be employed in all cases except where it is manifestly impossible, and that Vardon and Taylor, with almost equal vigor, maintain that the pitch shot should be used except in such cases where it is obviously impracticable to use anything but the run-up or pitch-and-run. Having considered the general aspects of these two strokes, let us proceed to the study of the principles that underlie the execution of each one.

Miss Cecil Leith A fine follow-through.