The club, while being faced off to the right in the address, must be turned in as well, and if the illustration is viewed as though dotted line a, showing the arc of the club, was running parallel with the printing upon this page, he will see that it makes a new base line, which will give the same view of the club and ball as in the "picked shot."

The difference in the scheme of play, however, is that here you have the whole width of the club face to allow for error instead of one-quarter of an inch, as you have in the "picked shot." The ball can be practically half topped, and yet go off on a good line, because the ground forces the ball up on to the center of the club face before the club reaches position 3.

If you come down too low to the ball the shot will not be badly spoiled, because much of the power will be transmitted to the ball before the club meets the earth. You will not get quite as much distance, but that will be the only difference.

A large part of the difference between professionals and amateurs in playing this club is in the matter of direction. No stronger object lesson can be had than to notice the painstaking, careful finish to the stroke when the professional makes his shot and the reckless heave for distance of the amateur.

The predominating idea of each player is plain to be seen. One tries solely for direction and the other only for distance. If the ball goes straight it is an accident in the latter case. Even those players who hit the ball are apparently satisfied if they come within twenty yards of the line aimed at.

The general trouble is the foolish pride players seem to take in reaching a green with the mid-iron, when in reality it is a cleek shot, with great care to be dead on the line. Of course it is possible to reach a green many times with a mid-iron by forcing it, where you can reach the same green and be sure of your direction by using a cleek.

A mid-iron was originally designed to obtain one hundred and thirty-five yards with the old hard ball, and because the ball has become livelier players seem to feel that they should get one hundred and eighty to two hundred yards with the same club. So they can, but there is no merit in so forcing the club.

To bring this lesson home, the next time you go out on the course observe the results that players get and you will find ninety per cent of mid-iron shots are short, most of them never reaching the green, and the next point you will notice is that they are away off the line as well as short.