could speak,
would surely protest that it is a delicate club with some fine breeding
in it, and that it was never meant to do this slogging with long swings
that comes properly in the departments of its iron friends. I seldom use
a mashie until I am within eighty yards of the hole. Up to that point I
keep my iron in action. Much better, I say, is a flick with the iron
than a thump with the mashie.

[Illustration: _PLATE XXXVII._ FULL IRON SHOT. STANCE]

[Illustration: _PLATE XXXVIII._ FULL IRON SHOT. TOP OF THE SWING]

[Illustration: _PLATE XXXIX._ FULL IRON SHOT. FINISH]

[Illustration: _PLATE XL._ PLAY WITH THE IRON FOR A LOW BALL (AGAINST
WIND). STANCE]

[Illustration: _PLATE XLI._ PLAY WITH THE IRON FOR A LOW BALL (AGAINST
WIND). TOP OF THE SWING]

[Illustration: _PLATE XLII._ PLAY WITH THE IRON FOR A LOW BALL (AGAINST
WIND). FINISH]

The iron that I most commonly use is nearly two inches shorter than my
cleek. It follows that the stance is taken slightly nearer to the ball;
but reason for moving closer to our A line is to be found in what I
might describe as the more upright lie of an iron as compared with a
cleek. When the lower edge of the club is laid evenly upon the level
turf, the stick will usually be found to be a trifle more vertical than
in the case of the cleek, and therefore for the proper preservation of
the natural lie of the club the golfer must come forward to it.
Consequently I find that when I have taken my stance for an iron shot
(Plate XXXVII.), my right foot has come forward no less than 8-1/2
inches from the point at which it rested when I was taking a tolerably
full shot with the cleek. The left foot is 3-1/2 inches nearer. Thus the
body has been very slightly turned in the direction of the hole, and
while the feet are a trifle closer together, the ball is rather nearer
to the right toe than it was when being addressed by the cleek. Those
are the only features of the stance, and the only one I really insist
upon is the nearness to the ball. The commonest defect to be found with
iron play is the failure to address the ball and play the stroke through
with the sole of the club laid evenly upon the ground from toe to heel.
When the man is too far from the ball, it commonly follows that the
blade of the club comes down on to the turf heel first. Then something
that was not bargained for happens. It may be that the ball was taken by
the centre of the iron's face, and that the upward and dow