Dear Jim:
Well, you probably wonder where I went since I haven’t written for several months.
As you know I successfully weaned myself off golf this year and now I am taking stock of my position. I have lost 20lbs, eat nothing I like, have medical stats that are better than when I was 40, don’t drink, go to bed at 8.30pm, work out every day and don’t have a single ache or pain anywhere. In other words I am perfect …..and… bored out of my mind, not having any fun!
As I contemplated my situation I thought…maybe I gave up on golf too soon.
So last week I grabbed my six iron and headed over to the Dome. I know it is depressing standing on the deck with all the “tractor pull” golf caps and the shouts of "Estie, Tabernouche", but I wear a disguise when I go there. I proceeded to hit balls until my hands couldn’t form a fist. I then rested 24 hours and went back for more. Balls were flying left, right and sideways and I dug several trenches in the artificial turf.
Now I have lower back pain, upper shoulder pain, a knee that feels like it needs replacement, blisters on my hands, golfers elbow on the left arm, a clicking sound in my right arm that sounds like a 1970’s slide presentation when I move it rapidly and I can barely walk upright. I have appointments with my Physio, my Chiropractor, my Osteopath, Massage Therapist and a Psychic. New drug prescriptions for pain, muscle relaxants, anxiety and hot and cold compress remedies round out my new arsenal of weapons to restore myself to basic functions.
In other words, I am right back to how I remember golf and its effect on my well being. And I accomplished all of this with only a 2 hour investment in the game!
This is good, I’m thinking. I know how to deal with all this stuff and pain is good for you. I’m giving golf another go and will drop my handicap by at least 10 strokes.
My plan is to forget everything I know about golf and start with a blank piece of paper. I have allocated $10,000 for basic lessons including 3D video analysis and commentary by Nick Faldo.
As soon as I am able to travel, I will head south to make some real progress. I will keep you posted on how I’m doing. This is the year for golf!
All the best,
Bill Meder
