The Driver Wedge Game

I've always dreamed of playing a driver-wedge game, just like the pros do. That means they hit driver so long that there's only a wedge shot left to get on the green in regulation. Last week, I had a taste of this. I was playing a course that I affectionately call "the Mindf*ck Course," otherwise known as The Woodlands. It shares the same clubhouse with Diamond Ridge, where the girls and I have been playing a lot lately. I kind of dislike the 20-minute drive out there, though, because it's always just after morning rush hour, when all the big trucks are on the highway, menacing those of us in little sedans. Also, driving on the highway to get to a golf course makes me feel like I'm commuting to work or something.

But on December 1, the county golf courses dropped to winter rates, and the normally pricey Woodlands suddenly became affordable. So Bea set up a tee time there. The last time I played there was last winter with Seri, when we were matched up with a former pro lacrosse player who actually thought we were good golfers. Somehow I had parred the first two holes, and did okay till the turn, when it all went to pot.

This time, I played like crap from the get go. I've had loads of work lately, so it felt weird to be standing up instead of sitting at a desk in front of a computer. While my driver was magnificent, everything else was crazytown. Let me explain. The Woodlands is a short course, yardage-wise, but just about every tee shot is blind, so you have no idea where that ball is supposed to land once it gets over that hill in front of you. Plus, the fairways are narrow and either concave or convex, leaving you with really awkward stances and almost impossible lies from the rough. Because of this driving-into-the-unknown business, I lost 3 balls on the front nine alone.

On the up side, the course has some short par 4s that I drove to within 20 or 30 yards of the green. And it's on these holes that my wedge became very important. But my $16 wedge failed me miserably. I skulled it on almost every shot. It was so frustrating to get close enough to birdie on a par 4 and then ruin my chances with a skulled shot 30 yards over the green. Seri, who has a flawless short game, tried to explain what I was doing wrong, something about using all arms and no body turn, but I just couldn't get it. I tried to remember what I'd learned from that one golf lesson I took where Mike explained how to hit a wedge shot. But that was before I actually owned a real wedge club.

My husband thinks it's my cheap wedge. I think it's partly that, but it's mainly my technique. But I don't want to complain. I know my wedges need work. And it looks like I've got my work cut out for me.