AS I have before now pointed out, the game of golf is not won with the driver. One man may secure an advantage of many yards over an opponent in this way, but it by no means follows that he will necessarily take the hole, or that he will win upon the aggregate number of strokes played during the round. Far from this, more matches are lost or won upon the green than upon any other portion of the course. Hence it well repays the golfer to pay special attention to putting, an art I will endeavour to explain in this chapter.

The drive may be taught, the pupil may be instructed in the use of the cleek, the iron, or the brassie, but in putting he must rely upon his own powers of reducing the game to an actual science. The other strokes are of a more or less mechanical character; they may be explained and demonstrated, but with the ball but a few feet distant from the hole there are many other things to be considered, and hints are the only things that can be offered. The pupil may be advised over the holding and grip of the putter, but as far as the success of the shot is concerned, it remains in his own hands.

It is vastly different from using other clubs when he is going for the hole. Just a swerve or the slightest unsteadiness or miscalculation, and he has dropped a stroke. The ball catches the edge of the hole; there is only a fractional difference of an inch, but it is sufficient.

Putting, in short, is so different to any other branch of the game that the good putter may be said to be born not made.

That this is really the case is proved by the fact that many of the leading players of the day, professionals and amateurs alike, are very frequently weaker when playing with the putter than when performing with any other of their clubs. Speaking solely of professionals, is it at all probable that this would be so were they capable of improving themselves in this particular department? Certainly not.

And yet it is none the less true that to putt perfectly should be the acme of one's ambition. Putting is the most important factor of success, for it happens very frequently that a man may meet a stronger driver, or a better performer with the iron clubs, and yet wrest the leadership from him when near the hole.

Too much importance cannot be attached to this special department of the game, but I regret to say an instructor as a rule experiences the greatest difficulty in inducing a pupil to devote himself to putting. He is quite willing to admit its importance, but he fails to devote sufficient attention to the task of mastering its details, preferring to attempt the more showy strokes, such as driving, strokes that appeal to the "slasher" or the spectator. Greater attention is needed in putting than in anything else, and it is not to be learnt unless sufficient time is devoted to the task.

Provided such a thing were possible. I would be only too pleased to lay down a hard and fast rule by which the art of putting might be learnt, but I must confess that I cannot hope to suggest a definite plan or rule which must be pursued with any great hope of success. Therefore I shall not attempt such a feat, for, despite all statements to the contrary, no two men are possessed of similar styles.

My decided advice is, that the learner should be allowed to discover for himself by which style he is best suited; whether, for instance, he is capable of securing better results by playing off the left leg than the right; and once he has discovered a suitable style, the instructor must proceed to suggest the better points that may be grafted on, although the ultimate measure of success attained will depend solely upon the efforts of the pupil himself.

In all other departments of the game 1 am of opinion, as I have previously stated, that the strokes may be taught, but in putting, never. This being the case, all I will do is to describe my own method of putting. The young player may follow my plan. I promise nothing. It is simply an explanation, and he must learn and follow out the style from which he is able to extract the best results.

My mode of putting is as follows: The weight of my body is almost entirely supported upon my left leg, while I play off the right. In gripping my club, my grasp is somewhat lower on the leather than when I am playing any of the ordinary strokes, my usual interlocked grip being still the same, my hands meeting and looking almost like one. A line drawn nearly opposite my left heel would touch the ball, while my arms are placed closely by my sides. My right thigh provides a very slight rest for my right forearm. This in brief is the position in which I stand when I am ready to putt.

On the manner of striking the ball every golfer possesses his own opinion, some arguing that it should be simply tapped, others that the club should follow through. Judging by my own style, I imagine I do neither the one nor the other, but blend both styles, although I am perfectly well assured upon ore point, that there must be no semblance of a jerk or a chop. Tutting should be the same as the majority of other strokes in this respect - it should be accomplished with a smooth, even action.

A player should certainly attempt to strike the ball exactly in the centre, in order to secure a truly played stroke, but opinions vary considerably over which portion of the blade of the club should be used for this striking. As regards this, I am inclined to look upon it as a matter of balance. This must be properly distributed. And whereas with one club you may find it best to strike the ball with the toe of the blade, with another it is quite probable you may secure the best results by striking with the heel.

As regards the imparting of cut upon the ball, I do not do that intentionally, although it has been stated that such is the case. There is a possibility, however, that a certain amount of this is imparted by my method of putting, for I do my utmost to play every one of my putts by wristwork alone. Other good putters maintain that the wrists should be kept as rigid as possible, and that the action should come from the elbows alone. I do not say I agree with this, although such experiences simply prove the truth of my contention that putting cannot be taught by a set rule.