When the beginner has become adept at putting, the next step is to place the ball back on to the fairway twenty yards or so and take up the mashie. Here again the fundamentals are important. The grip is already mastered. The stance however differs in that the heels are not together—the feet being farther apart, the right foot farther behind the ball. The stance and address are important and the player should obtain the advice of a professional or seasoned player. The best advice the writer can give is to study the club and let it do its work. The mashie can be used for a chip stroke for short distance and for a full stroke when the ball lies farther from the hole. It is an extremely important club and when mastered can save the player many strokes.
The next club to study is the brassie. The stroke with the brassie is the same as with the driver on the tee. The stance and address for the drive and the brassie shot finds the player with feet well apart, the right foot well behind the ball, the arms extended, the body upright and flexible, the weight evenly on both feet and the head down with the eye somewhat behind the ball. The club addresses the ball at right angles. In the upward swing of the club the forearms are turned and the left knee shifts so as to bring the weight on to the right foot; the club descends down through the arc it has described; the right foot pivots, the forearms turn, the weight comes almost wholly on the left foot and the club returns to the ball exactly at right angles. The club head is ahead of the hands and the ball is hit cleanly, the power coming from the right arm. The follow through finds the weight on the left foot, the right having only enough to preserve the player’s balance.
It is on the drive and brassie stroke that “pressing” is a severe fault. It is more important to hit true and to preserve the right angle by following through than to hit hard. Most girls do not hit a long ball. A far surer game is the short game. Accurate strokes down the middle of the fair green is sounder golf, so do not “press” and do not try to kill the ball.
After the brassie and driver are mastered, one can take up the mid-iron, cleek, niblic, spoon, and jigger in the order named. These clubs are for special service, and cannot be described in detail here.
An excellent practice to follow when taking up the game for the first time is to devote a day or even a week to each club, although it takes will-power to resist playing with the whole set instead of one club. As you master a club practice with it continuously. You will find such practice invaluable. Do not take up your second club until you have thoroughly mastered the first. And as I have said before, I would recommend that the game be learned backward—so to speak—with putter first, then with mashie, brassie, driver and down through the other clubs.
An adjacent golf course is a welcome requisite to a girls’ school or club. It is desirable for athletic associations or faculties to organize tournaments, as competition usually heightens interest. Where skill is unequal handicaps may be arranged by averaging a player’s scores and allowing the differences between the average score and par as a handicap. In this way evenness in competition is assured. Usually matches are decided by the winning of holes, although many competitions are decided on medal score or the total strokes for 18 holes. There are several kinds of tournaments possible in golf—two-ball or four-ball matches, or best ball matches. The last is where four players go around the course, two playing against the other two and counting only the best ball on each hole. Possibly the most satisfactory form for a tournament to take is the round robin tournament, where the number of entries is not too great, as each player meets everyone entered. Where the entry list is big the elimination tournament is most efficacious, and when there is still a larger entry list it is well to divide the players into first and second flights by first playing a qualifying round, counting medal scores, the lowest scores being grouped together in the first flight. A match may be made even by handicaps when players of varying skill are entered.
Skating
There are few forms of exercise that are more exhilarating than skating. There seems to be a peculiar fascination that holds you. There is a pleasing restfulness and a soothing feeling while you are gliding over the smooth ice. Surely there is nothing so interesting to watch as good skating. An intangible quality seems to draw you to it, to make you want to put on a pair of skates and try it yourself. Out-of-doors skating is, of course, preferable to rink skating, but the latter is a very acceptable substitute.
“I have weak ankles. I can’t skate.” How many times have girls offered this trite excuse! If anyone really wants to learn to skate, with a little patience and perseverance it can soon be accomplished.
The skates should be the right size for the shoe in order to avoid any accident. The shoe should be high, and not too stiff at the ankles. It is advisable to have the shoe and skate fastened together. The skates should be always well wiped, sharp and in good condition.