SHANKS AND HOW NOT TO CARE

I often play our executive golf course with a friend I call a true recreational golfer. He enjoys playing and even seems to enjoy his frustrations as he plans a shot to the right and it goes left. However, he has a very neat way of getting over bad shots, not by blaming his golf clubs, but praising them.

OK. there's a catch.

His complete bag of golf clubs, I mean putter, bag, cart, woods and irons cost him only $99.00 - brand new! He is more proud of what he paid for his clubs than what they are, something like: Bizmo-Zanger X-1000s, I believe one of Wally World's premiere models. So he hits it left when he's looking right, yet justifies the error by pointing out that he shouldn't expect anything else from a $99.00 set of golf clubs - that included a bag and cart - even wood covers!

Here I'm playing the best Callaways, a Nike driver, Ping putter, Taylor hybrids, and have no excuses. While he smiles at a shank, I frown when my drive is ten feet right of the sprinkler head (I'm really not that good).

Maybe my friend (I call him the Big 'K') has found how to enjoy golf to the fullest. He hits a shots to places on the golf course I didn't know were there. He shows only brief disappointment, then happily waves over his $99.00 set of golf clubs (like Vanna White over a letter) - a set that even included a club cleaner-scraper tool. "What the heck!", he says, "If I'd spent $2,200.00 on these clubs I'd be throwing them (like my partner with the Callaways) after that shot. But with these $99.00 beauties, that even included a cart handle score card holder, are doing exactly what I expected!"

We need to remember that golf is supposed to be enjoyed. The big K improved his enjoyment by acquiring the most golf equipment for the money he could find and avoided the illusion that you can buy a good golf game if you're willing to spend the money. The only problem is that I won't let him put his clubs in my trunk beside my Callaways. I don't want any shanks spreading to my stuff.

Mike