I was playing Dyker Beach (the course’s name is just a coincidence) with my dear friends, Deb and Mary.  

On the 9^th hole Deb crushed a drive.   I MEAN CRUSHED IT!   It was the purest drive I’d ever seen her hit, 230 yards with a perfect draw. You could see the pride on her face – and I was happy for her. 

But then there’s that thing called the second shot.  

With a 3-wood in hand, Deb lined up, wiggled her hips and swung really, really hard.   The clubhead hit the ground 3 inches behind the ball.  The ball rolled 10 yards.  The divot landed farther than the ball.

Her frustration was palpable.  She tried to breathe, but Mary and I could see she was going to blow…. and she did.  Like an ancient Greek discus hurler, she made a complete circle with her body, arms outstretched, and heaved the club almost 40 yards.

After just a moment of surprise, Mary turned to me and said, “That’s why I told her to get the graphite shafts – you get a lot more distance out of your clubs.”