My Golf Sensei

My buddy Matt noticed my struggles on the course the other day and said plainly as we pulled up my ball in the fairway, "Dude, we gotta do something about your (lack of) distance. I'm sixty yards past you." Though not the first time I'd heard something similar from one of my playing companions, the tone in which Matt imparted the phrase struck me as being constructive and not derisive, perking up my ears more then they otherwise would've been. Matt worked some time ago on the retail side of the golf business and said he could tell from watching me play that the shaft in my driver was too stiff. Indeed, what once was a low, going draw has since morphed into a high, short "fade", landing like a loaf of bread on the soggy fairways of springtime in Minnesota. He said this was because my swing wasn't fast enough to close the clubface with my stiff shaft and that I'd likely be more happy with the shape and distance of my drives if I switched to a regular flex in my "play" club. Appreciating his suggestion, I dug out an old, regular flex-shafted driver from the basement when I got home and went out back and hit some wiffle balls into the night air, feeling more control of the clubhead then I have in some time. I followed that with a week of non-golf reflection and then braved the driving range this afternoon and enjoyed watching the ball jump off the clubface of my new (old) driver. Thank you Matt, my Golf Sensei. You have imparted a breath of life into my almost-dead golf game. Now, can you help me get rid of those nasty (and hilarious?!) shanks too?