The editor expressed a desire that I should write something about my own game - the way I play the different shots, and my reason for so doing, that is if I can discover any special reason. It will be gathered, I trust, from what I have previously written, that I do not mean this for a guide as to how others should play; I only hope it may contain new ideas for some, and for others encouragement to go on with methods already formed.

The first thing that strikes me as worthy of attention, and as playing a very important part in determining how I should play the game, is my build and weight. I stand 5 feet 8 1/2 inches and weigh 9 stone 10 lbs. Further, I must confess that I have not been gifted with a large supply of muscle or strength. If the game demanded the application of sheer strength I should be but a sorry muddler, but let it be at once understood that it does not.

I have often been amused by reading paragraphs in which I am described as being 'well set up,' 'of firm and strong build.' Only a week or two ago a golfing paper informed me that ' a big and powerful pair of wrists' played an important part in the firm manner in which I played my iron shots.

If the truth must be told, my wrists and forearm seem to me to have stopped growing since I was ten years of age, for they are far from being big and powerful. My little daughter, who can stretch little more than an octave on the piano, can with the same ease encompass my wrist.

Do not imagine for a moment that this lack of strength worries me. I draw attention to it because it necessarily decided the lines on which my game has developed. Big strong men have much to be thankful for, but they have also, in consequence of this strength, much to watch and guard against.

The rest of my anatomy is built in proportion. Perhaps I ought to mention a pair of feet which serve me well at all times, and which are neither too heavy nor too big.

These details are worth mentioning if only to encourage those players who are built on similar lines; they all too frequently get it into their heads that they can never succeed because they have no strength or wrists to speak of. What I would suggest is that they must direct their attention, as I do, to different methods from those of the strong men.

The Grip. I hold my club with both hands close together, but not overlapping. The left hand grips firmly with the three fingers, the fork of the first finger and thumb is on the top of, and pointing straight down, the shaft, the thumb and first finger lap round the club and find a place out of the way, since they are not called upon to take an active part in making the stroke. The right hand grips much in the same way as the left with the three fingers, but more loosely, and is held more under the club, so that the fork of the thumb and first finger is not on the top but to the side of the club, about midway between a point that would mark the centre of the top and a point that would mark the centre of the side. I wish the exact position of the right hand to be clearly understood, because of the subsequent movement the wrists and arms have to perform. My grip will be recognised as differing only in this detail from the old-fashioned orthodox method commonly known as the ' V ' grip, and the only mannerism - and I use the word because I feel the action has no particular value, but nevertheless should be noted - is that at the top of the swing the grip of the right hand slackens, so that the shaft falls into the fork between the thumb and finger, but directly the backward swing commences the fingers fasten on again and the club is held perfectly rigid. And let it be remembered, this mannerism is quite common amongst the 'V' grippers.

DRIVING: SHOWING GRIP AND STANCE.

[To face p. 189.

The grip of the right hand must by no means be confused with what is known as the 'Palm' grip, that is, holding the club in the palm of the hand so that the back of the hand falls underneath the shaft. Many fine players have adopted this grip and undoubtedly drive far and straight, but I do not like it: it looks clumsy, and I venture to say it means trouble unless you are careful. And for this reason. If you have a full swing, there is a necessary movemerit of the arms from the elbow joint, often incorrectly called the wrist action (of which more anon), and by gripping underneath with the right hand you start by cramping that action, and in consequence something has to happen during the downward swing in order to readjust matters. You can easily see what I mean by gripping a club and noticing the different positions of the right and left wrists.

My opinion of the overlapping grip is that its effectiveness depends entirely on the strength of fingers and forearm. It would be useless for players to attempt it who have no more power in their wrists and fingers than I have. It is a very valuable grip for those people who have a powerful right hand that is always wanting to do more than its proper share of the work; then the overlapping will be found to help tremendously, because it effects the getting rid of part of the right hand, and therefore strikes a better balance between the two. There is no need to think, however, that the overlapping grip has any particular value over any other grip.

The Stance. When one has gripped the club comfortably, the next point to settle is how to stand. My ordinary stance for a straight shot is slightly open: that means that if I drew a line from the toe of my right foot, I should find the toe of my left foot about a couple of inches inside that line; and if you drew another line from the ball towards me, it would miss my left heel by about three inches. I stand upright, but there is a distinct crouch about the shoulders, though not much of a bend in the back.

My Own Game

This means the legs are not very wide apart for a man of my height. My weight is kept well back on my heels, and I stand just as far away from the ball as will allow of this. This question of weight is a most important one. Guard against your weight being on your toes: this means that you are too far away from the ball, and you are courting trouble for certain. It is a very good plan when you are settled to see if you can lift your toes off the ground without falling forward; if you cannot, creep nearer the ball until you can. Of course this suggestion is only relating to the weight, it must not be interpreted as a defence for standing close to the ball - far from it, for I am a great believer in standing as far away as possible, always of course considering the shape of one's swing and the length of club.

One has always to bear in mind that the stance must be altered according to the shot required. For instance, if you have a hanging lie through the green or if you want to hold a ball up into a wind, then you naturally attack the ball from a different position.