The second essential club for a beginner to possess is an iron. The word iron embraces a multitude of clubs of all shapes and sizes, but the particular iron that we are now about to speak of is a modification of the old-fashioned lofter, a club something between cleek and mashie. It is a very useful weapon, as it can be used for a great variety of shots. The shaft of an iron is usually shorter than that of a driver or brassey. It should be of a fairly substantial make, as a thin shaft is apt to snap when much strain is put upon it. The grip may be thick or thin according to the player's fancy, and, incidentally, to the size of her hands. It is advisable that the head should be of medium length, and the face fairly well laid back. With such a club much can be accomplished. Full shots, three-quarter shots, half-shots, push-shots and running approaches are all within its compass, and the player will not be long in realising its supreme usefulness. The iron is also a trusty, dependable club to take when the ball is lying badly through the green, or when it is lying cleanly in sand. The superiority of the stronger sex over the weaker sex in golf is more accentuated in iron play than in any other department of the game. Of late years women have somewhat raised their standard, and a few of the leading women players of the day can and do make the ball travel a considerable distance with their iron clubs. But there is still room for a great deal more improvement, and the average woman is decidedly weak in this branch of golf. That this should be so is a pity, and the beginner is recommended from the first to devote as much consideration and time as possible to the mastering of her iron clubs. She will find herself well repaid for her hard work, as good iron play is a most valuable asset in the game.

All authorities agree that the swing for an iron shot should be distinctly shorter than that used for a drive or a brassey shot. But there is a great diversity of opinion as to how short it should be. Some say that a full shot with an iron is never permissible, others hold quite a contrary view. Mr. Darwin, after discussing this vexed question at some length, arrives at the conclusion that while a full swing may be used on very rare occasions, that which will commonly be most advantageous will be something perhaps a little longer than a three-quarter swing. I will not venture an opinion on what is best for a man, but I do think that in women's play the full iron shot should have a place. I do not mean an exaggeratedly full shot, but a shot that is a little more controlled than that taken with a wooden club. To send the ball any considerable distance, a half-shot demands very great strength of wrist and forearm, more strength than most women possess. With the full iron length can be obtained with a good deal less exertion. The matter, however, is one which depends to some extent on individual characteristics, and it can really best be decided by the player herself when she has made some progress and is capable of discrimination. But the beginner should certainly learn to play both shots. There are occasions when one or other is eminently preferable. For instance, against a strong head wind the half-shot is the correct one to play, as with it the ball can be kept low and some run obtained. With an uprising lie, a following wind, and a high bunker or hill to negotiate, the full iron shot is much more suitable. It will be found that with a full swing the ball can be raised more suddenly, and from the height of its flight through the air it will derive every possible advantage from the favourable breeze.

For a full iron shot the club should be gripped tightly with both hands, thumbs round the shaft. The stance is a little more open than for the drive, and it is better to stand closer to the ball. The swing is more curtailed than with a wooden club, and not so flat. A point of vital importance is the correct timing of the swing. Correct timing is very important in all strokes, but, for the making of long iron shots, it is absolutely essential. In addressing the ball it may be found a help to press the heel of the club well down into the ground behind it. The swing must not be hurried. A deliberate swing, especially a deliberate back swing, is highly desirable. In bringing the club down the aim should be to accelerate the pace gradually until all the fire and energy of the shot is concentrated into the instant immediately before the club head comes in contact with the ball. Turf is usually taken with iron shots, and a hurried swing is very likely to make the player dig heavily into the ground, instead of cutting thoroughly under the ball. The body is not supposed to turn on its axis so freely for an iron shot as with a driver or brassey. It is held slightly more rigid. At the top of the up swing the weight is all on the right foot, but in the follow-through the weight passes into the left foot. In following through the arms should go straight out, not round the shoulder.

Miss Cecil Leitch, in a chapter on iron play in her book Golf for Girls, lays great stress on three points. These are: that the player must grip the club firmly; that she must keep her wrists stiff all the time; and that she must swing back very slowly. She adds that at the top of the swing the left eye, the point of the left shoulder, and the ball are all in a straight fine. Miss Cecil Leitch displays no small skill with her irons, therefore her remarks are worth attention. She also states that 'most girls use their irons like woodens, picking up the ball at the bottom of the swing, or even later than that, when the club has begun the upward swing.' This is the reason, is her comment, why women hit a much higher ball than men. Her own theory is, that in correct iron play the club should strike the ball just before the bottom of the swing and while still moving downwards. It may be a little bit difficult for the beginner to grasp what exactly is involved in this last statement, but I imagine it comes to very much the same thing as the advice to cut well under the ball.