The left foot should be slightly in advance of the right, rather turned
in if anything, and both feet some sixteen inches or thereabouts apart,
the ball, club, and hands being as nearly as possible in direct line
with your waist buckle, perhaps slightly inclined to the left. The hands
then require to grip the club as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the left hand
should hold with a grip of iron, the right much more easily, but still
with a tenacious grasp, turned well over so that the back of the hand is
to the front. Care should be taken that the thumb is not as shown in
Figure 3, for such a grip would cause the head of the club, when at
the top of the swing, to be turned broadway as in Figure 4, instead of
pointing toe downwards as in Figure 5. When off your drive entirely, and
when instead of being able to swing your ball nicely and cleanly away,
you can only keep hitting down on the top of it, called smothering, take
a swing with the club, pausing at the top (that is to say when the club
has reached its usual high curve over the right shoulder, and just
before its descent is commenced) to note the angle of the head. This
will generally be found as in figure 4, whilst the position of the hands
will be as in figure 3. Then alter your grip to as near that of figure 2
as possible, when the angle of the club-head at the top of the swing,
will become as in figure 5. But to continue, being in the correct
position for addressing the ball both as regards distance and grip,
after a short preliminary waggle which will give the needed impetus,
raise the club away to the right, not too quickly, with a scythe-like
sweep, till well over the right shoulder, at the same time lifting the
left heel and turning the body slightly on the toes of the left foot.
Figure 6. The action of the swing should be entirely done from the
shoulder, and not with a twist of the whole body as is often seen.
Descending again and driving away the ball, then continue the swing till
it finishes up quite naturally over the left shoulder, called "the
follow through," Figure 7, thus describing an entire circle round the
body, the _whole_ of which must be as evenly performed, without the
least signs of force or disjointedness, as though it was the revolution
of a wheel. Many players stand to drive with the ball in a line with, or
even outside, their left foot, but having the ball nearer the centre of
the body, as described above, is the more usual position, and one to be
recommended.
[Illustration: _Figure 6._
_GRIP WHEN AT THE TOP OF SWING._]
[Illustration: _Garland. Woking._
_Figure 7._
_FINISH OF SWING._
(_Mrs. M. C. Willock._)]
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