A young corporate executive decided one day, after careful deliberation, to play a game of golf. He'd read in a magazine somewhere that a person's skill in business was directly proportional to his skill at the game. Since he'd managed to climb so quickly through the corporate ladder without playing a single game of golf, he figured that he probably had a knack for it anyway. It was in his genes, or something.

He found himself paired off with an old man who confessed to having had a stroke ten years back; he was blind in one eye and he had lost some of the movement in his right arm. Still, he loved to play golf, and he went out every weekend. Our friend admitted to having never played before, but, he whispered confidentially, he knew for a fact that he had natural talent for it. The old man smiled tolerantly and patted him on the shoulder.

At the first hole, the old man teed up, claiming old age for the priviledge, and hit the ball; it went about a hundred yards, straight as the clubs he hit with. It was a beautiful shot, it just lacked power. Then the exec stepped up and took a mighty swing at the ball, determined to prove to the old man that he knew what he was doing. Now, he played football and hockey in his youth, and he was still in excellent physical condition- when he hit that little golf ball, it sailed. Nearly 250 yards if it went an inch, zooming over the turf, at a beautiful, precise 45 degree angle to the left of where he'd aimed.

The old man got in his cart and drove to where his ball was, half the distance that the exec trudged across the grass, far out of the way. He hit it again, not very far, but very straight, nearing the green. The exec stepped up to his ball and hit it again, feeling slightly embarrassed. Again, it sailed an incredible distance, this time 45 degrees to the right of where he'd aimed.

The old man pitched his ball onto the green, while the exec zig-zagged across the course, and then he putted the ball in. Par. The exec, having covered most of the hole on foot, finally, out of sheer luck, hit the ball onto the green. Ten minutes later he putted it in.

This went on at every single hole; to his credit, the young man did not lose his temper. He was very embarrassed, though, and rather confused.

The old man simply smiled and said, "Well, at least you're getting more for your money's worth." as he scored a birdie on the ninth hole.