Marsha has been the president of our book club for almost a decade. She was in-charge of everything--from what book the group should read down to what refreshments we should drink during our Sunday afternoon meetings. Tea was a staple though. For some reason, she made the best tea this side of Suburbia and I especially enjoyed our book agenda when I had a cup of her comforting tea. She's a trooper, Marsh; always at the forefront of all our literary escapades. But starting next week, that's all going to change because she and her husband are moving upstate. Last Sunday, we all sat down and discussed the future of the Yeah-Yeah Sisterhood (Notice the deviance in spelling? Anyway, that's what we called ourselves.) only to adjourn with a heavy heart. Marsh was leaving and our Sunday afternoons would never be the same. We did realize, however, that it wasn't the end of the world. One of the girls suggested we start a new hobby, and everybody's eyes shimmered like they just saw a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Knitting was the first suggestion. It was also the first idea thrown out without much deliberation. I couldn't even sew a button on let alone knit a whole sweater. Then a series of unfortunate suggestions came one after the other: baking, finger painting, pottery, yoga, and wine tasting. But only one idea struck us like cold hard metal (pun intended) and that was golf.



The funny thing about our little hobby-seeking troop is that we didn't know anything about golf. I knew how to putt and sink a hole at miniature golf, but to play in the vast green wilderness of the golf course was definitely a trip even for me. And that was when we decided to send in reinforcements--our husbands. The minute they found out about our new found interest in the sport, they brought out their irons and taught us the basics.

No one really goes to war without some kind of weapon. Gretchen's husband, Michael, said that the key to being good at golf is having a keen eye both on the green and the estimated trajectory of the ball. Of course I didn't get it right away; I flunked Physics back in high school and I knew it didn't really like me a whole lot. But as soon as he mentioned his *eagle eye precision* theory -- that golfers are like eagles, golf clubs were their talons, and the hole was their prey -- I understood him completely.

On top of intuition and form, there was the matter of gear. Obviously the best thing to do was to stop by a golf pro shop and get one of those iron club things. That was when I learned my second lesson in golf: shopping for irons and drivers are completely different from conventional shopping. However, it was not necessarily impossible. Michael supplied us with a list of golf essentials to get us started. And the best part is that we could buy everything online!

Golf requires a variety of shots and that's why there are different clubs for every scenario. The most used club is the putter. *Miniature golf* seems to agree with it, too. The Tiger Shark Juli Inkster 1 Signature Series Putter is a milled faced, heel-shafted putting club especially designed for women. Its soft grip and moderately light structure makes any beginner feel like a pro. The next club to consider is the driver. Once you get that flawless drive, putting toward the hole wouldn't seem too hard anymore. The Precise Tartan Women's G6 460 Driver has a superior lightweight shaft that allows maximum distance. Beginners who have inconsistent handicaps and are not so suave with the green also appreciate good wedges. The Ping Tour Wedge Steel Shaft is a versatile club that creates high spin rates from virtually any shot. Armed with these three clubs, tee time couldn't be more fun. Get them all at www.golfdiscount.com at unbelievable discount shopping prices and start swinging.