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1. 3 Requirements - I think I can most readily explain the requirements of good golf by relating the case history of one of my pupils, whom I shall call "D.M."

When D.M. joined our Bel-Air golf club his handicap was 10. After three months play over this exacting course with its narrow fairways, D.M.'s handicap went to 13. This disturbed him considerably because he had a certain pride in his game, so he approached me with this comment: "Joe, I guess I am going to have to take some lessons."

2. Erroneous Theories - It is regrettable that

1. The thrills of a great game,
2. The wonderful companionships that are available in golf,
3. The recreational advantages that are a part of golf,
4. The healthful benefits that automatically accrue and flow from participation in the game

are out of the reach of so many players, because the game is played so badly. And it is played badly, not because of any physical incapabilities but because of improper understanding.

3. The First Half - In the making of every golf shot, there are two parts: First-Assuming the proper position to the ball-This means:

1. Proper placement of the club to the ball
2. Correct grip or correct hand positions on the club
3. Correct placement of feet
4. Proper position of body.

Once this starting position is established, the second part of the golf shot consists of the actual stroke, that is, the actual swing of the club.

4. The Second Part - If you follow the first moves related in Chapter Three, you will find yourself balanced on your left foot. This position should give you a sense of aim, a sense of hit and a sense of contact with the ball. The position created by these first four moves will place you in the proper position at the time and point of impact with the ball. It is a position where you are really leaning the club against the ball.

5. Golf Stroke - With the presentation of the double 4 outline of the golf stroke, it is hoped:

1. that a positive and definite method of establishing a uniform starting position from which to make the golf shot was learned from following the first 4 steps
2. that the second 4 steps provided a definite procedure of weight shift, so that the body could be established and utilized as the basis and means of motivating the club on the upswing as well as on the down swing and follow through...

6. New Concept - The material in this chapter is one of the real reasons that this golf book is being written.

When golf was first introduced in America, and this was less than 100 years ago, emphasis was placed on the pronation method of play. Under this method, the left hand pronated* the club away from the ball on the backswing. In the pronation type of golf swing, there was no place for any body action-in fact, the slightest sway with the body took the player out of position and a very stern "hold your head still, don't use your body" policy was established as the correct procedure in golf.

7. Perfect Footwork - The swinging of a golf club is a double-handed, ambidextrous motion which completely involves the player from toes to fingers. It is this all encompassing involvement of the player in a properly executed golf swing that gives a golfer that completeness of ease, grace and rhythm.

Being the two-legged creatures we are, it is understandable that to swing the club up and to the right we should balance ourselves on the right foot, and to swing the club down and to the left, we should rebalance ourselves on the left foot. However, at the very outset of the golf swing a quandary is presented.

8. Rate Yourself - Throughout this book, it has been contended that there is no short cut to good golf-there is no way to do the three things that constitute a golf swing:

1. weight shift or footwork, for balance
2. body action, for swing and power
3. hand action, for club position and club control,

without going through the complete sequence of the four moves that has become standard performance by good golfers for years. Any short cut, any omission, takes something out of the shot, or it causes a warped action which produces a distorted effect.

9. Basic Ideas - The use of the body in a golf shot has been the basis of all of my teachings in golf.

One time while teaching a man who took up the game after he was 50 years of age, I was taken to task by one of the better players at the club who was and is a very good friend of mine.

"What are you trying to do with Arkell," he asked. "You have him swaying and moving all over the place. Don't you think you should teach him to hold his body still?"

10. The Course - On numerous occasions pupils express a desire to be taken on the golf course where they feel they will learn more quickly.

This is a snare and a delusion. It is absolutely essential that a reasonably good swing be developed before the pupil be permitted on the golf course. A natural question at this point would be "what is meant by a reasonably good swing?" It simply means that the pupil should be well grounded in the three fundamental actions that constitute a golf swing.

11. Golf Clubs - Golf is easy to play because the club does the work.

The first officially recognized set of golf clubs consisted of four clubs:

1. a driver, for the long distance shots from the tee
2. a brassie, so called because of a protective brass plate on the bottom of the club was used for distance shots from the fairway
3. a baffie, a club with considerable loft on the face so that it raised the ball high into the air-this club was used for approach shots to the green
4. a putter, designed to roll the ball on the ground and used to roll the ball into the cup

12. Slicing - I consider a discussion on slicing and hooking to be of prime importance. It deals with the art of playing golf, "stick handling"-it deals with the crux and essence of every golf shot, the positioning of the club (a subject thoroughly discussed in Chapter Five, but I deem it to be of sufficient importance to bear repeating).

13. Unusual Shots - From a position on a side hill, where the player's foot position is lower than the spot where the ball lies, there will always be a tendency for an extremely flat swing. A hook shot will naturally result from this situation. If it is practical to utilize a hook effect, by all means allow for it, and play the shot naturally.

14. Lefthanded - There is no reason why golf cannot be played left-handed just as well and efficiently as it can be played righthanded.

We have emphasized the fact that a golf stroke is an ambidextrous action-that the first lesson in golf, footwork, is a lesson that will teach a person to become right-handed. He must learn to balance himself on his right foot so that he can raise the club using the right side and the right arm. To bring the club through he has to train himself to become lefthanded, to shift his weight to his left foot, so that he can use his left side and his right arm to bring the club down and through the ball.

15. Womens Golf - Country club and golf club operations are being adjusted and changed to take care of a new field of activity -women's golf. The increase in women's golf has been so great that in a short time the number of lady players will equal the men. Everything should be done to encourage women to play golf, because from health, social and recreational standpoints, golf is of greater importance and value to the woman than it is to the man.

16. Common Faults - Some golfing faults are due to erroneous concepts, but most are the direct result of an omission-a failure to do some essential maneuver of part of the swing. As a consequence, the player is forced into a distortion which develops an error that the player neither intended nor is at all conscious of doing. In such a situation, professional guidance and advice can be most helpful.

17. Golf Research - The first report of an extensive study on the golf swing was just released, so that an analysis can be presented here. The report is of particular importance because it confirms the material presented in the last two chapters.

The research in question is being conducted by Dr. Raymond Snyder, head of Physical Education at UCLA, and his assistant in the same work, Mrs. Nanette Me-Intyre. Dr. Snyder and Mrs. Mclntyre are both golfers and they wanted to clarify certain theories about the golf swing.

18. Harmful Golf - Without a doubt the most common fault in golf is slicing. But as most players do not understand the need or the mechanics of shifting their weight, they are forced to use their left side in a sort of turning motion to take the club away on the backswing. This left side action of the body carries the club to the outside of the line of flight.

19. Mental Side - The game of golf is a perfectly natural one to play. Unfortunately, many people make golf difficult to learn, principally through their failure to understand the procedures used. Most often, the inability to succeed in golf stems from a lack of comprehension rather than from a lack of the proper physical equipment in the player. For example, people who excel in other sports do not always perform well on the golf course.

THE END