First, then, make up your mind as to the weight of your wooden club; and then look at the shaft. It is the fashion from time to time to adopt a thick, stiff shaft, but no one has ever explained why that should be preferable. The shaft should be as thin as possible without becoming too supple. There is a danger too of a very thin shaft losing its shape quickly, although that is not an important consideration, because it depends far more upon the quality of the wood. A good piece of split hickory ought to taper down where it joins the head without becoming supple at all. There should be a certain amount of spring, but do not select a club with the spring high up in the shaft. In trying it you ought not to feel any suppleness at all in the grip. In other words, the spring should begin about half way between the leather and the head. Very few shafts answer to this description, because so much unseasoned wood is used in the manufacture of golf clubs that it is safer to leave the shaft in a more or less clumsy form to avoid bending or breakage. Nevertheless, even the beginner should get as good a club as possible, and if he can find a thin shaft which is not at the same time flabby, he may be fairly certain that he has got a good piece of wood.

The shafts of all clubs, it may be remarked, should be made from split hickory. Various other woods have been substituted, but they have nearly always been found wanting. Hickory combines lightness and spring with strength and durability in a way that no other wood can equal. Seeing that hickory is one of the commonest woods in America, there should be no difficulty in securing good shafts in this country.

In selecting the head of a driver, the most important thing, next to the weight, is the angle which it makes with the shaft. Here again, individual taste must be considered; but, as a general rule, the angle is far too obtuse. The result is that the player cannot stand erect and still keep the sole of the club level upon the ground. Remember that your steadiness in driving is greatly increased by standing fairly erect and using what is called an upright club; that is to say, one with not too obtuse an angle between the shaft and the head.