Puttering Away the Day

Tom and Julie Wilson of Leesburg play a round of miniature golf with children Ryan, 9, and Erica, 5, at Woody's Driving Range.

When owner Woody FitzHugh decided to remodel his aging miniature golf course two years ago, he and his staff chose to go all-out with a theme concept. They narrowed the choices to two, of which an "Indiana Jones"-inspired jungle theme won out over "Pirates of the Caribbean." FitzHugh and his staff began scoping out courses as far away as Ocean City and Atlantic City to make sure their idea -- "Perils of the Lost Jungle," an exotic forest into which explorers have ventured since the 1940s, never making it out alive -- proved unique. The elaborate, impeccably timed result is comparable to a Walt Disney World attraction. What sets the course apart from others, Shaw says, is "the amount of detail -- everywhere you look, there's something going on -- [and] the fact that it's interactive." FitzHugh and his staff designed the course themselves and continue to add features. Employees even put together the soundtrack, which changes throughout the course and includes a variety of jungle noises along with music from adventure movies.

"All the guys that work here come up with ideas," Shaw says. Most props are from Advanced Animations Inc., a company that created props for the Revenge of the Mummy ride at the Universal Studios theme parks. Chimps swinging over the fourth hole are like monkeys from "Planet of the Apes," a movie in which FitzHugh appeared as an extra. The 13th hole features a prop from the film "The Relic."

Anna and I soon learn that more often than not, we can't see a hole from where we putt. We also discover that in order to follow the ball, we have to walk past various unusual objects, some of which have a tendency to do things without warning. On the very first hole, Anna shrieks when a large crate suddenly starts to jump up and down as she passes. Just beyond it, a lifelike Komodo dragon looks ready to burst from his cage; Anna is happy to notice a hidden mechanical piece in the creature's mouth, confirming that it's only a model.

"Everything has a sensor on it, but we can also manually trigger things, so we can make everyone's adventure a little different," Shaw says with a hint of mischief. He and the other employees monitor the course using video screens in the office and can make something happen with the touch of a button.

"My favorite hole is the poison frogs, because I think they're cross-fired just perfectly," Shaw says of the eighth hole, where camouflaged amphibians squirt unsuspecting players with water as they bend over to retrieve their balls.

Half the fun is the element of surprise, with one startling activity closely following another. After narrowly escaping a treacherous incident, Anna reaches a hut and hollers as she happens to look above and spot a startling, freakishly real sight: an assortment of shrunken heads, each with its own look. Dry ice, bursts of air and a wobbly structure play into other unexpected occurrences. And let's just say that if you don't care for spiders, snakes and lizards, certain sights might not thrill you.

Happily, Anna and I survive our jungle adventure -- but we realize later in the evening that we haven't even bothered to add up our scores. Somehow, they just don't seem to matter.

PERILS OF THE LOST JUNGLE -- Woody's Driving Range, 11801 Leesburg Pike (Route 7), Herndon. 703-430-8337. Open all year, daily 8 to 10 through Sept. 1, daily 8 to 9:30 after Sept. 1; call to confirm hours, which are subject to change seasonally. $8 adults, $6.50 ages 12 and younger, free for ages 2 and younger. Woody's also offers a driving range, putting green, batting cages, ice cream and other snacks, and picnic areas.

Freelance writer Mary Jane Solomon especially enjoys courses with spraying water.