My Shot

I'm the one-club wonder, and it's true, I am not playing with a full set. With a full bag of clubs I'm a scratch golfer, but with my six-iron and my imagination, I've won the World One-Club Championship four times. In the 1987 championship I birdied four holes at 6,200-yard Lochmere Golf Club in Cary, N.C. , and set the Guinness Book of World Records one-club score, a two-under-par 70. I took 31 putts, closing the face of the six-iron to get the ball rolling.

People ask me if I use my talent to hustle people, but there are other benefits of using only one club: You never need a caddie; a round takes only three hours; and you keep more shots in the fairway, a forgotten virtue with the latest biggest, baddest, rocket-launching drivers. As Chi Chi Rodriguez says, the only wood most amateurs should use is a pencil.

I hit the ball about 190 yards off the tee with my six-iron, but I can launch it 235 using a nifty trick. I find an old divot or clump of clover and put my ball in front of it. This keeps the grooves from imparting spin, creating a knuckleball that rolls forever. The toughest shot is from 100 yards, but for the little 50- to 60-yard shots I make my six-iron into a wedge by opening the face.

Yes, my particular skill does get a few peculiar reactions. The most common is that folks think I'm the one-armed golfer rather than the one-club golfer. I give clinics and exhibitions at charity events, and when I reach the tee, people are amazed at how lifelike my fake limb is.

One-club golf isn't for everyone, but most people shoot within 10 strokes of their handicap, appreciate not having to lug around a full set and really enjoy playing faster and without the indecision that comes with picking clubs. You might just discover, as I have, that less is more.