Injuries/Winter/Time to Study?

[THuckaby2]

I like to give my friends in colder climes a hard time about this time of year.. as I play golf while they shovel snow.  Well.. there must be such a thing as karma, because the golf gods have striketh me down.  I sit and type this one handed because my left hand and wrist are in a cast, due to a fractured hamate bone suffered 6 weeks ago at Winged Foot, believe it or not.  Perhaps there's karma going on there also?  I finally got to the right specialist yesterday, and he couldn't believe I had been playing for the last month with this...

In any case I now have a winter.  No golf for me until February at the earliest.  

I swear I am going through Piaget's seven stages...

So my question today, for those of you who have a winter, or have suffered a golf-preventing injury:  how do you deal with it?  Is this the time to really study?  I'm worried if I do that, immerse myself in GCA study, it will end up just more frustrating as it hammers home what I can't do.  So my thinking right now is to give up the whole thing cold-turkey until I can play again...

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

TH

[Mike Benham]

Tom - what a bad break  

I guess that means next weeks round is out unless you want to be a non-golfing guest ...

[Bob_Huntley]

Tom,

Something similar happened to me some thirty years ago.

I broke my leg playing soccer here in Carmel. Some bruiser fron the Naval Postgraduate School and Navy football player was trying his hand (foot) at soccer. Anything that moved he hit. He hit me and I was on crutches for some months. That was on a Saturday, the following Monday I received a letter from MPCC to tell me I had been admitted as a Member.

Over the ensuing months I felt very sorry for myself and eventually finished the Decline and Fall......


Bob

[RJ_Daley]

Sorry to hear about the injury.  Does the Doc or Redanman think it will have any lingering restriction on your swing as you come through the ball?  Will you have to modify that trademark laid off sort of backswing we can all identify as yours from 3 fairways over?

Well, it is "hot stove league season"  for northern golfers, and you can now learn to cope with the concept of not striking a ball for months.  Here is one quirk about that.  Our handicap system through WisStateGolfAssoc. ends on Oct 31.  No more scores can be entered until April 15-May1.  Yet, when we come back on-line so to speak, our handicapps are what we left them in Oct.  So, don't get into any matches at KPIV with some sharp shooter from San Jose who plays all year, even if he gives you a stroke or two more!  

Cabin fever and SAD (sun affected disorder) can be a downer.  At least you can go outside comfortably and walk some courses at sundown and take pics or study the design, or just go for a walk with the kids...

If you really want to know how terrible the effects are with this darn northern climate, watch the Packer game with Jacksonville tomorrow.  Pay particular attention to the deranged effects this has on some people in the stands who forgot it is -0 windchill, and have removed their clothing.  

I haven't gone that far around the bend yet.

[Bill Gayne]

Tom,

I understand. I had open hernia repair surgery earlier in the week. Hanging out gets old real fast. The only hope I have left is playing Texas Holdem on Yahoo. I've bought everything my wife will let me on Ebay. I can't take anymore reruns of the Big Break on the Golf Channel. Sports Center has become tedious. Thankfully live sports will be on this weekend.

On top of it all I'm going to Sea Island for New Years and will probably be limited to putting and light chipping.

I'm down $137 in holdem.

[THuckaby2]

gents - this is great stuff, many thanks.  But man.. my wife is already suggesting I get different hobbies... help!

 

I'm sure I'll live - heck my thing is a trifle compared with Bob's back then and Bill's now... but misery does love company, thanks.

And Dick, well... the thought had occurred to me that maybe the forced layoff from the game will cure my layoff in my swing... either that or the healed hamate will... there is always hope!  In any case, go Pack!  I love wathching the knuckleheads during snow games!

Mike - yep, no golf for me next week.  And I had such high hopes....

[cary lichtenstein]

Tom:

You can hang out with my wife who had knee surgery 12/2 and will be out for 10 weeks. Think my life is a bed of roses

[Bill Gayne]

Cary,

You win the 2004 Hard Luck Award for leg surgery and I think you had four hurricanes to deal with.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tom Huckaby, et. al.,

I had heard that you injured your arm during some self manipulation while away from home.

I played football, basketball and hockey every fall/winter, but would stop on March 1 of every year.

My thought process was:  If I broke a bone as late as March 1st, and I broke many, I would be in a cast for 6 weeks, which took me to April 12th, and back to full golf mode by May 10th to May 24th.

I took up Karate to help me rehab.
Unfortunately, I broke every toe, a couple of times.

But, this prepared me for an event which occured years later, the night before I was to go to Scotland for 10 days of golf,
when I broke a toe on my right foot.  It was duck soup.

Broken bones are child's play.

Six weeks is the blink of an eye.

Did you major in whining at SCU ?  

Cary Lichtenstein,

I would be careful.

When people are recovering from surgery and staying home, idle time often leads to an introduction to the internet.

I would suggest that you delete or modify your last post, or else it might just be your last post.

Discretion is the better part of Valor.

[Rick Shefchik]

Take it from an expert, Tom -- you can get through December, January and February without golf.

In fact, you might end up appreciating the experience. It's not all that much different from being deprived of, shall we say, your wife's companionship for an extended period of time. When you finally get back in the game, so to speak, the deprivation and anticipation can bring a new level of appreciation.

And right now you're nodding your head and thinking, yeah, yeah, but I'd rather keep playing.

So here's some advice from a snowbelter on how to pass the time:

Read two or three golf books you've always meant to read.

Get into "American Idol."

Catch up on the movies that are likely to be nominated for Academy Awards.

Ski.

Find a good time-wasting website (oh...nevermind.)

Impress your boss with how few days you suddenly disappear for five hours or so.

Take your kids to the zoo, or a waterpark, or an aquarium, or a concert, or some other place they're always asking you take them but you generally find a way to play golf instead.

Better yet, coach your kids in a winter sport. You'll wonder how you ever had time to play golf.

If all else fails, get a computer golf game like Links with a course-building prgram, and design your dream layout.

The days won't necessarily fly by, but I guarantee you're going to enjoy your next round of golf in a whole new way.

[Michael Whitaker]

Huck - Sorry to hear about your injury. Now is the time to work on your Golden Tee and/or Tiger Woods 2005 game. You could come out of this a double-threat!

[Mike Hendren]

Tom,

Sorry to hear this.  I assume you will be spending more time in the office and it's therefore an opportune time to short Clorox?

I'll bet Huntley beat me to the punch.

Mike

[Gene Greco]

Tom:

     Did your injury at The Foot stem from one too many post round refreshments?

[Pete Lavallee]

Huckster,

Sorry to hear about the injury; at least it didn't happen at Santa Teresa! This could, however be a great opportunity to see some courses while just walking and observing. Like yourself, the playing of the game is most important for me, but I would love to tour a course without playing to see if I actually learn more. I suspect that injuy would be the only thing that could make me want to do that. Heck you might even like it. Your course evaluation skills could improve to point of causing a tremendous domino effect on all Golf Digest Raters and you could be credited with single handedly reforming their ratings process  .

All the best for the Holidays,
Pete L.

[RJ_Daley]

Huck, I was giving this a second look and realised that I too broke that same bone.  I think they called it the novicular bone in those days.  I broke mine in H.S. football reaching from a pig pile to try and rake in a fumble.  A linebacker decided to dive for the ball as I reached.  I must admit it is still stiff and sore after about 40 years and I can barely do a flat palmed push-up on it.  But, good news Huck, it didn't effect my golf game at all over the years as you can see how I've progressed to a 13 handi!!!  

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Huck,
As someone who has been in recovery for the last 114 days from a very lengthy illness, I can tell you NOW is the time to reflect how good it is to be able to live.

[Jfaspen]

Tom,

as someone who normally doesnt golf from November through March, I find it fun to immerse myself in the west coast swing on the PGA tour.  A lot of the courses played are good to watch and fun to see.  (Kapalua Plantation, Pebble, Torrey, Riveria).  

I also play texas holdem online as well as Tiger Woods on my xbox.

Jeff (staring out at a fresh inch of snow while realizing the forecasted high today is 14).

[ed_getka]

Tom,
  Read "Great Golfers in the Making, or something like that by Henry Leach I believe. I read it years ago when I was recovering from a knee surgery. Its about how 34 great golfers came up in the game. My game made a quantum leap forward when I started playing agiain. Which given the level of my game, won't seem like much to those who have seen me play.
   If you are interested I can send you my copy.

[Doug Sobieski]

Tom:

I've suggested dozens of times to friends that if they want to improve their game over the off-season without picking up a club, read any or all (preferably ALL) of Bob Rotella's books. Or re-read them if you have already done so. I guarantee you'll be a better player once you are healed!!!

All the best,

Doug

[cary lichtenstein]

Tom:

I've decided to send you my wife, together with her crutches. Send her back when she can play again

Cary

[Jonathan Cummings]

Tom - I am lucky enough to have a best friend as a PVGC member - over the years I've played there a million times.  In the early 80s my friend called me to invite to a 3 day outing with 7 other guys.  The kicker was that they had arranged a home/home match with 8 Merion members (a place I had NOT played and was dying to).  The night before the match I broke my foot playing basketball.  Needless-to-say, I had to drop out.  It was 10 years later before I finally got to play Merion.

JC  

[Tom Dunne]

Even though winter is kind of depressing, I do agree with Rick Shefchik that taking a break can lead to greater appreciation in the spring. I definitely feel like a kid on Christmas when I hit the first tee on that first warm day in March each year. Of course, I also love those rare moments in winter when golf presents itself--like going out to the high school football field with a shag bag, or playing a few holes on an empty muni somewhere.

And winter is perfect for catching up on your reading, golf or non-golf related. I always save the thick tomes (currently Caro's bio of Robert Moses, "The Power Broker") for this time of year as it seems to be the only time I can get through them....

[Joe Hancock]

Tom:

I've suggested dozens of times to friends that if they want to improve their game over the off-season without picking up a club, read any or all (preferably ALL) of Bob Rotella's books. Or re-read them if you have already done so. I guarantee you'll be a better player once you are healed!!!

All the best,

Doug

Doug,

Wouldn't it be more therapeutic to stare at a Kingsley calender in one's office all winter?

Joe

[Jonathan Cummings]

Huckeroonie,

It's snowing right now for the first time this season in DC(quite beautiful) , there's a roaring fire in my fireplace, Xmas in the air (a bourbon and nog in my hand in tribute), and football on the V.  

Take that as you bask in your warm weather sameness!

luv ya  

J

[Brian_Gracely]

Doug,

Wouldn't it be more therapeutic to stare at a Kingsley calender in one's office all winter?

Joe

Dornoch is selling calendars this year....http://www.royaldornoch.com/calendar2005.pdf