I hate this game; I love this game

Wife vowed some weeks ago that she'd never play golf again. Those of us addicted to the game, of course, completely understand the feeling and, in fact, have made the same vow at least two or three times per season ... sometimes even two or three times per round.

She does like to drive the cart though. So three weeks or so ago on a nice Sunday I coaxed her out with the offer to let her drive. I played my way up to the green on the first hole and then suggested she just bring her putter along and hit putts on the green with me. She did, and she's a pretty good putter, so that worked fine. We followed that pattern for three or four holes then I suggested she just bring her pitching wedge and hit from where I was close to the green. She did and not badly and then hit a putt or two and things went well.

The following Sunday she hit a few from the fairway and by the end of nine holes was hitting driver off the tee. She managed a par on one of the par threes after hitting it in the sand on her first shot. (For you non-golfers that's good in anyone's book -- not the sand, dummy, the three.)

This past Sunday saw us back out there. I think I've got her convinced "Golf is not a game of perfect" as they say. Of course, for a card-carrying perfectionist, that's a pretty big leap of faith. But ... She hit one ball, I kid you not at least 180-yards off the tee on one hole and right down the middle. She hit two shots with a sand wedge out of two separate fairway bunkers that must have flown 70-yards. That's a pretty stout wallop with a sand wedge. And then on the same par three that she had parred the previous week -- this tee shot: Of course, then she also three putted from there proving that she is, indeed, human. On our final hole she blasted a 7 wood from 100 yards right on to an elevated green and even left a pitch mark (hole) in the green she hit it so high. I think I've got her hooked.