Maybe you've walked through a casino and looked on with disdain at the people who come back day after day to feed money to the slot machines. Oh, they win from time to time. In fact, the payoff rates are carefully calibrated by behavioral psychologists, who measure what the payoff rate must be to keep you coming back to play again and again, remembering the jackpots, forgetting the times you came up with nothing.

Switch to golf course. The high handicapper (let's say 20 or higher) grabs the driver. Why?

I just finished 18 holes. I grabbed the driver 10 times. Of those ten times, I didn't hit three good drives. I hit three *magnificent* drives. I hit three drives where the ball sailed 280-300 yards, straight where I aimed it, and landed in the best spot I could've hoped for.

The other seven drives were ****. They were gross slices deep into the trees, or pull hooks that went screaming into the ground. About 100 or yards away.

Did the three gorgeous drives save me any strokes, compared to what I might have had with a straight 5w for example? Maybe. Maybe 2 strokes. Did the seven **** drives cost me any strokes? Um...yep. They cost me at least 7 strokes to hit out of trouble. Realistically they cost me about 10.

So how am I different from the suckers at the slot machines, who keep coming back for the jackpot because they "hit" every so often? Answer: I have a tan!