The theory of the shot as I have drawn it is rendered still more difficult and almost impossible by players who seem to think they must get under the ball and hit up, applying the power to push the ball up along the line of the angle of rise, at right angles to the face of the club.

Even with this theory of play the arc of the club head should be very flat in order to hit the ball, but nine players out of ten do not try for the flat arc. At the last moment when they meet the ball they, lift the club by turning the wrists up in order to get the ball up or "lift" it, their idea being that in order to get the height the club must come up with the ball along the solid line marked d.

With this theory the club must sweep through the arc shown by dotted line c, but even then the latitude for error is so small that it is very, very difficult to bring any kind of a shot off with certainty, and the amount of spoiled mashie shots is shown in the scores of the high handicap men. In addition to this the player has no such hitting surface to use as the width of the club face might indicate.

In reality he has only the width shown by the dotted line b, and that is narrower than the face of his cleek.

I have drawn three views of the club and ball in order to show what takes place during the short interval of time when the club is against the ground. In the first place I direct attention to position I to show how much more latitude for error is given by hitting down instead of parallel with the ground, as in the average player's theory.

By referring to the solid line marked a, you will observe that you have a space nearly as wide as the club head in which to hit with the bottom , edge of the club and still get off a very fair shot. This is about four times as much leeway as you have in the other scheme.

In order to have the club coming down and the shaft pointing at the angle it is, the hands must be ahead of the ball.

To give a simple explanation of this way of playing the shot, just imagine you are playing on the same theory you have been, and instead of taking the usual stance, take a position as though the ground under your left foot was to sink down six inches. Then you will pick off the ball in the same way, but your club will go into the ground after you hit it instead of starting to rise from the ground the instant you hit the ball.