The Difference Between Men and Women Golfers

Writes Chris C.: “I spent this past weekend at the Samsung World Championship, a women’s professional golf tournament held within walking distance of my apartment. I learned more about women’s golf than I had in my entire previous life.

“I used to believe that the only difference between men and women golfers was that the men were much stronger than the women and that in all other phases of golf women were just as good as men. Not so. In the long game, women are not as far behind men as you might think. Men still hit the ball longer, but not all that much longer. And women are more accurate than men. They hit their drives much straighter. So why are women golfers not nearly as good as men, as was evidenced by Annika Sorenstam’s failure to even make the cut in a men’s tournament? Surprisingly, men are much better putters than women. It’s no contest. For example, I watched Karrie Webb late Friday evening, and she couldn’t sink a putt if her life depended on it. She once even four-putted!

“If you ever get the opportunity to attend a women’s golf tournament, be sure to go. In some ways, it’s more enjoyable than men’s golf. For one thing, the crowds are much smaller. When on late Friday afternoon I followed Karrie Webb for close to 18 holes, there were only a handful of people watching her. On one tee, I was one of only three spectators, and one of the other spectators was her playing partner’s husband. I therefore spent much of the time standing only about 30 feet from one of the greatest women golfers ever. In how many sports do you have such an opportunity?”

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.