through the green lying fairly well, a level piece of
earth to stand upon, and a practically unlimited distance to be played,
then the brassy stroke is absolutely identical with the drive, and if
the ball is sufficiently well teed, or its lie is clean enough, there is
no reason whatever why the driver should not be taken for the stroke.
Obviously, however, as the lie which you get for your second shot
depends on chance, and must be taken as it is found, there are times
when a variation from the standard method of driving will be necessary,
and it is to the process of play on these occasions that I shall chiefly
direct my remarks in this chapter.

First, however, as to the brassy itself. Its shaft should be slightly
stiffer than that of the driver, for it has much harder and rougher work
to accomplish, for which the whippy stick of a slender driver would be
too frail. In a desperate case, when the ball is lying in an apparently
impossible place, the brassy is sometimes taken, in the hope that the
best may happen and the situation be saved. That is why the brassy has a
sole of brass which will cut away obstructions behind the ball as the
head of the club is swept on to it. It often happens that you must hit,
as it were, an inch or two behind the ball in order to get it up.
Therefore let the shaft be strong. It should be exactly the same length
as that of the driver, and not a half inch or an inch shorter, as is
often recommended. I do not accept any argument in favour of the shorter
shaft. The golfer having driven from the tee needs to be persuaded that
he has again what is practically a driving shot to make for his second,
and thus to be imbued with that feeling of experience and confidence
which makes for success. When the clubs are of the same length there is
equal familiarity in using them; but if he is given a shorter club to
play his brassy shot with, he feels that there is something of a novel
nature to be done, and he wonders how. The face of the brassy should be
a little shorter than that of the driver, to permit of its being worked
into little depressions in which the ball may be lying; but this
variation of the construction of the head should not be carried to
excess. Obviously there needs to be more loft on the face of the club
than on that of the driver.

The stance for the brassy stroke (see Plate VI.) is generally the same
as for the drive, and for reasons already stated my recommendation is
that, so far a