ill come out from their hiding-places with
their mocking grin at the unhappy golfer.

The movements of the feet and legs are important. In addressing the ball
you stand with both feet flat and securely placed on the ground, the
weight equally divided between them, and the legs so slightly bent at
the knee joints as to make the bending scarcely noticeable. This
position is maintained during the upward movement of the club until the
arms begin to pull at the body. The easiest and most natural thing to do
then, and the one which suggests itself, is to raise the heel of the
left foot and begin to pivot on the left toe, which allows the arms to
proceed with their uplifting process without let or hindrance. Do not
begin to pivot on this left toe ostentatiously, or because you feel you
ought to do so, but only when you know the time has come and you want
to, and do it only to such an extent that the club can reach the full
extent of the swing without any difficulty. While this is happening it
follows that the weight of the body is being gradually thrown on to the
right leg, which accordingly stiffens until at the top of the swing it
is quite rigid, the left leg being at the same time in a state of
comparative freedom, slightly bent in towards the right, with only just
enough pressure on the toe to keep it in position.

To the man who has never driven a good ball in his life this process
must seem very tedious. All these things to attend to, and something
less than a second in which to attend to them! It only indicates how
much there is in this wonderful game--more by far than any of us suspect
or shall ever discover. But the time comes, and it should come speedily,
when they are all accomplished without any effort, and, indeed, to a
great extent, unconsciously. The upward swing is everything. If it is
bad and faulty, the downward swing will be wrong and the ball will not
be properly driven. If it is perfect, there is a splendid prospect of a
long and straight drive, carrying any hazard that may lie before the
tee. That is why so very much emphasis must be laid on getting this
upward swing perfect, and why comparatively little attention need be
paid to the downward swing, even though it is really the effective part
of the stroke.

Be careful not to dwell at the turn of the swing. The club has been
gaining in speed right up to this point, and though I suppose that,
theoretically, there is a pause at the turning-point, lasting