Every one of us wishes to hit the ball farther. We long for those days of old when we could stand on the tee, stare down the fairway and with ease hit the ball well past our buddies or over bunkers and trees that others feared.
Golf club manufacturers come up with new technology in drivers, woods and irons at an alarming rate. Every year they promise a few more yards, tighter dispersion and bigger smiles on our faces. Reality is seldom as bright as we hope.
For many, many years would put one of the latest and greatest drivers into my bag. One day my best friend and I were playing, and he remarked that I, once again, had a new driver in the bag. He has stuck with his tried and true one for about 10 years now. During our round I noticed that even being a few years younger and having a newer driver, we still hit the ball about the same distance off the tee. What the heck? What happened to that promise of booming drives and short approach shots?
Stepping back and looking at it, I am convinced that I, and perhaps most of you, have been going about this the wrong way. We have been spending too much money on the latest driver.
I forgot a lesson that I was taught long ago. The shaft is the...