The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
TO WOMEN: BUY SIX CLUBS
THAT rs, IF YoU WANT TO MASTER
THE GAME OF GOLF.


| Week With Each stick in Turn--This
Plan Brings Out Cup winners, But
There Are Other Methods Here Described.
There are two sorts OF letters that como TO a
newspaper ofice which may DO answered in the
Same general way. The questions come from
two sorts Of women; those who have bought q
golhng outfit and want TO know the quickest way
TO learn the game. and those who want advice on
clubs 10 buy as we'll as how 70 use them afterward
Tho average golf professional who should be
asked the latter question will at once advise tho
purchase OF 80 many clubs that the caddie bag
will bulge out like an old-fashioned umbrella
As the song says Its matter OF business with
him" But candidly, IL is mooted point whether
IL is not better to begin with but ono club rather
than to buy full set at the start II one has the
| time TO spare, tho better way to begin, from the
amateur standpoint would be TO put In a week OF
daily practice with driver, brassey, clsek, lofting
iron mashie and putter in turn, II possible under
the eye OF a good coach, and then, after the six
weeks Of preliminary work, when the regular
game is taken up, it is certainty that such pains
taking preliminary work will be rewarded by a
| fne showing on the very first round of the links
To carry out the principle still further, the mo-
man who thus takes up golf need only buy driver
at the start the selection OF which she would have
| 10 leave TO the professional or TO friend. But
after week with the driver, the beginner who fol-
| lows this plan shall know about what sort OF a
| brassey will suit her best and. with the expert
| ence gained by another week, she should have
| knowledge enough 10 choose q cleek, and 80 on
| through the entire gamut of clubs The pleasure
| OF shopping for clubs on ones own account should
| help to make this system popular with the sex
This system may be taken up in the reverse way
| II desired, that is to begin the putting green
then trying the approash Shots next the full and
half icon oh aIl with tee shot
| but this cannot be recommended. The great bene-
| fit TO be derived from the preliminary work with
each club Is TO learn 10 strike with II accurately
| and fairly, with some sort of knowledge TO the
| distance 1t will carry. By beginning on the tee
when the regular rounds are begun, each club will
be used in its turn with better idea Of the game
than il the practicing began the putting green,
for in that the ideas OF succession will hardly
be clear, in fact the first impressions apt
10 be set "toysyturvy."
AT the last women s championship, with the ex-
cepton Of Miss Beatrix Hoyt very few OF the con-
testants showed an all-around knowledge Of the
uses of the different clubs All were strung from
the tee but thereafter their choice of clubs was
haphazard one and the result of the strokes
ually matter OF luck. Many. indeed. used the
brassey for half-iron approach shots with the
result that the ball few far past the green Those
who learn under the progressive systsm described,
at least would not make that mistake. 1t differs
from hte teachings Of the professionals. from
Harry Vardon down, yet these experts stultify
themselves by the fact that they will practice for
days at time with certain club. be IL cleek,
mashie puter, when they fancy that depart
ment OF their game is showing weakness But
many persons cannot take the time to learn 10
handle the clubs in such a slow and systematic
way. When this is the case let the beginner buy
the six clubs named above and caddie bag and
set out determined TO do ride
Once on the tee the professional will show the
pupil thestauce, but II there Is no coach to be had
the way to stand may be learned by following any
golf match The game is SO common now that
II is no longer necessary to draw diagram when
the word stauce is used, besides A is generally
admitted that the conformation dM . ,cngth Of
the individual player must govern the way of
standing and that il is useless to sa'' which foot
shall be placed forward or back. The grip should
be firmer with the left than with the right hand
and full swing is best but so long as the ball be
well hit all minor matters now left TO personal
consideration But there Is only one way TO get a
long ball. The club head must describe circular
line, beginning as far back possible, and after
the impact the club head must follow trough
on the same line and the player turn with arms
out after the ball. The stroke must not end with
the hitting Of the ball. This Is the principle and
only diligent practice will bring II out for the
natural tendency is to hit and stop Girls who
have played either tennis or baseball will readily
comprehend what follow through" means, and
also the difference between hit and sweeping
stroke
After the work ON the tee, practice the swing
wherever and whenever there is a chance to swing
a club During that brief spell before dinner
which the French call the bad half-hour," 1t is
Miss Beatrix Hoyts CUSTOM when at homo in
Westchester to pracrice the swing on the lawn
each evening The systematic work. like the
daily dumbbell exercise of a gymnast, is Just
enough to keep the style good and the muscles
tense. Miss Amy B. Pascoe who Is nearly as
prominent in golf In the United Kingdom as Miss
Beatrix Hoyt Is here, recommends the beginner at
tee shots to practice in the garden II links are not
near. Have sheet hung loosely between two
posts" writes Miss Pascoe, some ten feet high
and hit as hard as she can The sheet receives
the balls, which fall harmlessly to the ground"
The better way is to practice from the tee for an
hour at a time, II possible under a professionals
tuition The second shots on long holes When
the ball is well teed up should be played with the
driver II the ball Is on stony sport or In deep
turf lie, use the brassey, which is nothing but
driver soled with metal for such emergencies and
is used in the same way. The great difference is
that the lie for the brassey is usually only an in
oiHerenI one, and the Stduce must be altered to
suit the hang OF the ball When the lie Is too bad
for the brassey try the cleek or ofting iron
Often too the nature Of the ground makes neces-
sry toe use an iron for the second shot although
still full drive to near the green When an iron
must be taken under these circumstances remem-
Der that accuracy and not distance is the object
in view in making the change Do not force tho
wsaker club
Usually in playing full shots with the ceek or
tess powerful irons the rule is to take a shorter
swing than with the wooden clubs This prac- |
tce is still generally taught although the modern
principle is TO take as full a swing as may be used
with ease whenever playing for full shot On
all full iron shots, even with the mashie the |
club is forced to its full power and the beginner
should be well pleased TO hold the green To fall
dead to the hole a full shot Is matter of luck,
but on three-quater, half-swing. or wrist shots,
which are the approach shots proper the striving
Is always for great accuracy and whoever is bet
ter in this respect will always in the short
game"
he M Tter hnt 10 nj yad x-;,l, o+;a -