Tag Archives: golf

Need to Getaway

6 Nov

Maybe I need to get away from the usual routine and life. Stay away from golf and carving, and take out that bikini to wear to even out all the uneven golf tan lines.

I saw a sports doctor yesterday to evaluate the wrist. Thankfully it’s not what I thought initially – Avulsion Fracture and no necessity for an X-ray or MRI. Rather it’s a case of De Quervain’s stenosing tenosynovitis, inflammation of the tissue on the thumb side of the wrist. Commonly known as Wrist Tendinitis, it is due to overuse.

On top of over usage, it seems that Tendinitis is part and parcel with age, being the dinosaur that I am. Gee, as if I don’t have enough problems already what with the Infectious Collitis and Endometriosis diagnosed earlier in the year. I’m such a problematic dinosaur this year.

But with the weather so wonky these days and M2’s big exam looming closer each day, will we have time for a much needed escapade? Frankly, I don’t think it will be enjoyable with constant wet weather nor will there be ease of mind knowing what’s ahead for her.

It’s a good thing that today’s a public holiday and I am home taking a mini break as recommended by the doctor.

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Is Golf Really Healthy? Part 2

30 Oct

My earlier assumption of burning 200-400 calories during a round of golf was off by a whole lot! I used to be able to hit such numbers but these days, it’s not even close.

Two weekends ago, during the Saturday morning golf game, I clocked 5.9km with 9,993 steps but burned only 127 calories. This was according to my Xiaomi MiBand2. Hmm… has my metabolism slowed down?

Anyway true to my earlier take on the after game plans, the four of us (plus a friend) had lunch but skipped the alcohol. The spread may not look or feel heavy but I believe the calories tipped over what I burned. Oh well…

I shouldn’t be too nit-picky with such things if I want to enjoy the company of friends during a round of golf. Do note these days, it’s more the company than the game for me because of the nagging pain on the left hand.

Speaking of left hand, I have decided to go get an x-ray done to assess the situation and see where do I go from here. I am so not looking forward to this I must say…

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Noodles, vege, fruit vege, more vege, anchovies & onions plus a fish porridge, nothing too heavy…

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Is Golf Really Healthy?

26 Oct

Many will think that golf is a good and healthy activity as a form of exercise but I don’t think so. Think about it for a minute.

You may exert a lot of energy and probably burn 200-400 calories from the four and a half hours outing but along the way, old sports injury – if there are any, are subjected to more stress. Such is the situation with my left wrist and obviously, this is not healthy. Or you may unfortunately pick up new injuries.

And usually after the game, a hearty meal ensues whether it is a morning or afternoon game. On top of that, the alcohol intake, be it beer or whiskey… goodness! All that hard work gone in a jiffy.

A pint of beer is about 180-208 calories (depending on brew type and brand) while a shot of whiskey is about 64 calories and more, depending on proof percentage. No one stops at just a pint or a shot, let me tell you. I know I don’t. This probably explains why I have gained some weight recently despite the limited diet due to my Endometriosis – the meals and drinks that follow after each and every game.

You may feel good thinking you managed to burn 200-400 calories initially but six hours later, if not careful or disciplined, you end up putting back more calories than what was burnt in the first place!

Imagine week in, week out, the once a week or more games with this routine. One may argue that consumption of food and drinks was in moderation or very little but mind you, every little bit counts.

In conclusion, golf may be a good and healthy sports by itself, it is the after-game indiscipline that will just void all that form of exercise and render it ineffective.

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Not Getting Better, Part 2

22 Oct

Could it be that I have a small Avulsion Fracture on my left hand, just like the LPGA professional golf player, Michelle Wie? Hubby shared the news of her injury with me last Friday.

It sounds very similar because I do have a bone spur and the symptoms sound about the same. I am pretty sure her description of ‘nerve entrapment’ is akin to my ‘tiny bumps along the vein’.

But this is where the similarity ends as I did not do all those medical check ups and treatments like she did.

If a professional like her will not play the remainder of the season to get well, me being an amateur and without any treatment should rest until the end of the year too to fully recover. Something to really think about.

So how did I play on Saturday? Like a cow, like a chicken, like a novice… you get the idea? It was worse that those rock bottom days in the middle of this year. Sigh… and super sigh.

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Not Getting Better

19 Oct

I am afraid the left wrist is not getting any better. The last two golf games I played was most painful especially from impact. And I haven’t even been doing any serious carving, just them tiny Gnomes. I don’t think I will ever recover fully.

The vein is constantly swollen and every night I use the battery-operated Acupuncture Meridian Pen to administer relief which it does albeit temporary. But perhaps the usage is insufficient and I need to use it more than once a day.

I play another game this Saturday; let’s see how I fare…

 

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Tiny bumps along the vein

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My Nike Just Can’t Do It

8 Oct

The phrase “Golf is one painful and mental game” that I have been repeatedly saying has now become my favorite phrase when writing about golf. There’s always a story to it.

My game over the weekend was so contrasting in the results from the previous weekend – disastrous in other words, is the latest incident linking to the phrase. It was just pain this time and was literal with the Nike FitSole shoes that I wore.

I had a huge painful blister on my left pinky toe and almost developed another on the right pinky toe!

For the record, the waterproof shoes are actually quite comfortable being very padded, cushy and wide. So I cannot comprehend why there was friction at the edges inside to cause both feet to hurt and I ended up like that after 18 holes. And this is the first time this happened, the blister that is.

I conclude there’s always, always something that will go wrong despite the perfect weather, the good company, my good iron shots and pain-free right tennis elbow. The left wrist hurt initially but the painkiller took care of it. Little did I know the shoes were the culprit this time.

There shouldn’t be any excuses but…. Maybe my thin socks were too thin? Or maybe I cannot play golf on a weekly basis yet? Or maybe I am kidding myself thinking the shoes suit me. Sigh… Whatever it was, my Nike just couldn’t do it for me that Saturday morning.

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Don’t mind the wrinkled toe but see the beautiful full blown blister?

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The Right Package

21 Sep

Right after I lamented about hubby’s box arriving ahead of mine, my parcel arrived and the size is about right for what I ordered. Usually my orders are little soft packs, unlike his, coming in boxes of various sizes.

This time the item I ordered has nothing to do with carving but more for well-being to play better golf. It’s a hand-held battery-powered Acupuncture Meridian Pen and I thought it’d be a good and useful device to treat the recurring nagging pain on the left wrist and thumb.

Let’s see how I feel after using it a few times.

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A Costly Mistake

17 Sep

The Golf Iron Challenge on Saturday morning was quite a fun outing at the Hills course. To my surprise, another girlfriend signed up at the very last minute to make our sole ladies flight a four-ball.

It was delightful indeed as some of the tee boxes were moved up and thus, psychologically it was friendlier because distances were cut short and certain ponds were taken out of play. Hubby, who played too, laughed at our first tee box at Hole 1 being moved forward akin to the Drop Zone, which we discovered was indeed the case for Hole 6’s Par 3. Aligned at the Drop Zone. Hahaha…

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Tee off at the Red or the Drop Zone? Hehehe…

I held up well on the first nine because I took a painkiller prior to tee off to suppress the nagging pain on the left wrist and it helped..

Then upon the cross-over, drama unfolded. Drama always unfolds when the sun comes up and it becomes too hot.

Unlike last year, where fear got the better of me, this time it was just plain silly mistakes. Silly mistakes that became costly mistakes. The first three holes on the cross over, I three-putted, adding strokes unnecessarily in this stroke play tournament.

However, it didn’t bother me too much as I felt I could still recover. After all, the more difficult holes were completed without any problems.

Then came Hole 14. An unsuspecting hole. I never thought I could be bunkered by a sand bunker this time around as I always thought if I overcame the pond fear, I would be okay. Well, there’s alway a first for everything.

The 60 meters approach third shot shanked to the right and landed in the bunker. And what a horrible bunker it was because the sand was so compacted and hard, the setup wasn’t ideal. But somehow I was unperturbed and was very calm; there was no fear in me as I tried to get my ball out and onto the green. Unsuccessful of course…

And I kept trying and trying and trying.

I took nine strokes to come out from the darn bunker! Nine freaking strokes, another record of sorts for me (remember my six balls in the water last year?). A chip-in and a two-putt, I came back with 15 strokes on that Par 4, Hole 14. 15 strokes. Bunkered to the core, you could say.

Amazingly, I could still be jovial about it. Whatever was gained on the front nine especially was lost on this one hole, just like last year with Hole 18 at the Lakes course. But the difference this time, my mental wasn’t beaten to a pulp.

After the game and to my surprise, I was rewarded ‘1st place’ – an improvement from 2nd place last year, for my front nine’s effort of two-under for the nett score with three tubes of ball! I certainly did not expect this, better than all the men. What a morale booster! Now if only this reward could erase the costly mistake of the sand bunker…

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What a lovely surprise!

There’s a lesson to learn from this year’s Iron Challenge – be wary of bunkers too, not just the water. I take pride that I managed to hold up well and did not have my mental strength beaten to a pulp this time. I also did not lose any balls, in fact I gained three new tubes and it’s just most unfortunate that one mistake became such a costly mistake. It’s one of those days I suppose. Sigh…

I certainly look forward to next year’s Challenge again.

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The Day I Feared, Part 3

14 Sep

A few days later after the Iron Challenge tournament last year, I played the Lakes course again and when Hole 18 came around, I crossed on the third stroke (but with my 3-wood of course) and made bogey! Golf is one painful and mentally challenging game.

The day you fear, fear will get the better of you. One should not fear but be fearless then adversity will be overcomed. Having said that, I have been prepping my mind mentally to play the Iron Challenge tournament again this year.

Although the Challenge will be held at the Hills course which has less treacherous water to cross compared to the Lakes course, I must remember that golf is also a game of mental strength regardless of the challenge ahead.

The tournament was initially scheduled for February but was deferred to this coming Saturday and I am certainly looking forward to it without fear. Although my left wrist injury has recurred unfortunately, I am positive and taking extra precautions to deal with it for the tournament.

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The Day I Feared, Part 2

11 Sep

When fear gets the better of you, everything goes awry. On the morning of the Iron Challenge, drama unfolded at Hole 18 of my Club; it definitely wasn’t tiredness that I felt. Hole 18 the Pacific Ocean being so vast visually, played my mind and created doubt.

The mental approach weakened and fear got the better of me when the planned third shot to cross the water didn’t make it. But I had to cross because the mode of play was stroke play. So when another ball dived, the mental strength started to collapse. Then another sploosh… and another sploosh…

That morning, I dunked an amazing six balls into the Pacific Ocean of the Par 5 Hole 18. It was quite a record for me I must say. All because of fear.

By the time, I finally crossed and got onto the green to hole out, all the progress that I did for the last 17 holes was wiped out with this one hole’s attempt. I took things in stride and even laughed about it.

In honesty, my mental strength was beaten to a pulp.

But like all good stories, there was light at the end of the tunnel. I was pleasantly surprised after the game, I was rewarded for my 2-under effort for the front nine. I certainly did not expect that! The six balls that dived was replaced with two tubes of brand new balls. A sense of positiveness was regained, recovering from the beaten mental experience.

Looking back, the phrase ‘golf without fear’ is so true here for one must never allow fear to get the better of you. I have to learn to master my thoughts better and hone my mental strength to be strong, not just the physical to play well and enjoy a good round of golf.

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