Tag Archives: golf

Feeling Restless

17 Oct

For several weekends I have been feeling very restless. It became more pronounced when I had to sit out from golf. And days that we don’t go out and do something, I become an unhealthy couch potato.

There were times I channeled my energy to art. So I painted and carved. But I don’t enjoy it when I am interrupted (mostly by official pet number one’s insistent barking for attention) or be at it for long periods of time. It’s very hard to find a balance. 

The stain glass activity on the whiskey bottles have stopped because I find it very time consuming and tedious. And it hurts my back if I bend over too long. As for the balsa wood carving, it’s very messy because with the ceiling fan on, the light wood chips fly everywhere!

I am torn on what to do next. Should I carve the remaining balsa wood, paint on canvas instead of whiskey bottles or try my hands at something new?

So much creative energy, so little activities…

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Mixed Feelings

11 Oct

It was encouraging when I went to the driving range last Thursday night. So over the weekend, I decided to take a step further and played nine holes. It felt good!

There were definitely some distance issues but like I said, this problem can be fixed. Overall, I was pleased. However, a new problem crept up. I cringe thinking about it. It’s my knee this time. Thank goodness we took the buggy instead of walking the whole nine holes.

There was pain, sometimes excruciating when walking on uneven terrain and this does not look good. And to confirm my fear, last night during gym, I just couldn’t do certain routines involving the legs. Sigh…

Speaking of gym, the hands and upper body worked fine. I was back to using my usual four pounder dumb bells. And was even doing some upper body routines on the weight system. But the knee…

I am having a follow-up therapy this morning and will be discussing this new development with my doctor. Sigh…

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I Am Pleased

7 Oct

I went to the driving range last night. After close to a seven-week lay off (45 days to be exact) from swinging a golf club proper, I am back at it. Chipping in the garden does not count because it is not a full swing like being at the range. 

My wrist injury has recovered well with therapy and rest during this time. At the last visit for the weekly therapy, my doctor had finally approved for me to take this next step.

It was good but I had trouble with my five iron. And I seemed to have lost some distance. But I think a couple more visits to the range should get these issues fixed so I am not worried. The woods and driver impacted decent and the short irons well. It was encouraging. 

I felt it was unnecessary to push myself to do 100 balls, so I hit only 50 balls. After the session, there was some slight pain but not excruciating which my doctor highlighted to me was to be expected. Once I got home and iced the hand, it was okay.

Looks like the road to recovery is looking good! I am pleased.

  

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Blessing in Disguise

4 Oct

I thought Monday being a replacement holiday was a blessing in disguise because I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning on Sunday to watch the Ryder Cup until almost the end. The singles battles were thrilling and was of epic proportions especially certain match ups. Sleep and the comfort of my bed could not match them!

And when one stays up until 5.30am, it sure would be tough to wake up three hours later to get ready to go to the office. Thankfully it didn’t have to be like that. Never have I been so caught up with live showing of any sports and following it so closely, not even the recent Olympics because of the time difference; sometimes it’s a putt off. But not so with this year’s Ryder Cup and the 13-hours time difference.

It was worth it! Well done Team USA.

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Much Improvement

23 Sep

It has been past a month since I last held a golf club, 21st August being my last game played at Raffles Golf Club in Singapore. Amazingly, despite such a lengthy break I don’t have any withdrawal symptoms for the game. Have I lost my passion? Save for a couple of bouts chipping in the garden at home, I don’t have the urge to quickly head back onto the golf course. Maybe my virtual games and work at the office kept my mind busy to quell any thoughts.

The treatment for my left hand has progressed well. I have done 12 sessions already! It was after the tenth session that I could feel a big difference in the overall mobility of the hand. I am pleased, very pleased. One of the main factor to this progress is the discipline to do the home exercises, ice the hand and of course, going for treatment three times a week. As there has been improvements, treatment is now down to twice a week.

When I first started, the pain level was 6/7 out of 10, 10 being very painful. As of yesterday before my twelfth session, it’s down to two. I foresee by next week, this will improve further. Although my doctor has approved for me to continue the garden chipping activity, going to the driving range is still off limits. I am also encouraged to hold 1kg dumb bells to increase the muscle strength and this I will do during my once-a-week gym sessions.

Recovery from an injury sometimes can be long and arduous. A simple injury like mine has taken this somewhat long journey, what more an injury of a more complicated nature? But with discipline and patience, I feel my journey has not been that difficult or taxing. I am not counting the days yet to when I can play my first pain-free game, I just want to be totally healed. No rush after such improvements.

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Out of Action

25 Aug

I finally did something about the constant pain in my left wrist because I can’t go on with one day of good golf and the next day, terrible golf. And the discovery was not good. Uh oh. Saw a sports doctor who advised me to take an x-ray just to be sure no broken bones because she felt a bone spur when she probed my hand. Uh oh.

The x-ray result came out good. Phew. No hairline cracks, so essentially this means the soft tissues. I have a slight tear in the muscle at the wrist area that is causing pain here, there and everywhere because everything is connected.

The first thing the doctor said, no sports or any stress inducing exercise that involves the hands. Uh oh. No golf in other words. And my gym sessions would have to change, no weights.

For a good 6 weeks! With some rest in between, I am looking at being out of action for two months. How will I survive?

And I have to undergo a treatment program to regenerate the tissues and enable the stretched muscles to recover. The treatment is a combination of ultra sound for deep penetration repair, manual massage therapy, radio frequency stimulation and bone realignment. 

I decided to have the treatment three times a week for the recommended 20 sessions which works out to be about six weeks, give and take a little.

Somehow this time, I am more accepting of the situation. It’s exactly the same problem I had  seven years ago, only more pronounced that has recurred and doing the same treatment to rectify. Back then I was reluctant to sit out for two months. This time, I will gladly do so to ensure no repeat again.

I started treatment yesterday. 

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4.30am, Twice

22 Aug

As you know I have always dreaded the 5.30am wake up calls during my golf trips. Well, over the weekend, it was far worst than 5.30am. It was 4.30am, twice! After a late Friday night out, sleep was pretty much eluded as we had to wake up at 4.30am to ready ourselves for the journey down south for golf. Hubby and I were joining the Club entourage to Johore and Singapore, two bus loads of enthusiastic golfers, departing at 5.30am. Tiring needless to say.

Orchard Golf and Country Resort was our first stop for a Saturday afternoon game, which was hot, breezy and super hot. Amazingly I played one of my better games but in the process I think I aggravated my old wrist injury. The next day, we checked out to head on to Singapore for an 8.00am tee off at Raffles Country Club. So being an early tee off, 4.30am was the wake up call because we had to cross the Tuas checkpoint. And for the second time I am in Singapore for golf, it rained, just like the other visit back in April. We had to wait it out. Tiring needless to say.

This time around, the pain in the wrist flared and despite the course being scenic and relatively manageable, I did not enjoy myself as much. Sigh… 

Actually both games were not that tiring because they were buggy on course instead of being limited on just the tracks. It was more of the timing for logistics, the lack of proper sleep and the travelling time that made it tiring. However, I am not complaining. We had a good time and look forward to the next opportunity.

Now to get that wrist looked at…

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A New Tracker

18 Aug

Two weeks ago, I got myself a new wearable band, the Xiaomi Mi Band2 to replace my first gen Mi Band. It’s a much improved fitness tracker that comes with the usual capabilities plus heart rate monitor, an OLED-display and a touch button to see all the stuff on it. So simple and sufficient that I don’t even wear my watch sometimes.

Prior to this purchase, I actually have a Garmin VivoFit that I won as a novelty prize when I participated in the BMW Golf Cup International last year. But this device needs iOS8 to synch and unfortunately my iPhone5S is still on iOS7, so I gave up on it and insisted that hubby should use it, which he does at times. (He uses an Android phone, so no problems synching whatsoever).

My new Mi Band2 is very nice and sleek, a tad thicker than the one before but the best part, it can synch with my phone! This is what matters most for all my fitness data.

The old (with a new green strap) and the new

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The First Time

5 Aug

Ever since I got my iPad Mini, we have been inseparable. Every where I go, it comes with me – to the office, for my trips and all. But yesterday was the first time, I made the decision to leave it at home when I made an impromptu overnight golf trip with friends.

We drove up to Ipoh for a round of golf followed by a surprise birthday dinner for our good friend. Indeed she was surprised. The golf course was hot but bearable, the food good and the company as always, boisterous and lively.

The group will play their second game today while I take the train back, to see another good friend,  who has come back from overseas for dinner. It feels good that we go to such lengths to maintain the friendships that we have.

It looks like I can survive a day without crushing any candies, zapping any monsters or harvesting any fruits. And it will another first for me, taking the local and much improved train service home alone.

A leisure breakfast awaits before they send me off to the train station! 

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These Are Good

4 Aug

When I went off to Vietnam to play golf a month ago (wow! A month ago!!!) hubby requested to buy coffee and I got these. 

This brand, G7, is really good as the coffee smells very aromatic and tastes really good. Whenever he makes it in the morning, I could smell it from upstairs. In fact the whole house will smell of coffee! Mmm… nice.

It comes in three types, the 3-in-1 (with sugar and creamer), the 2-in-1 (with sugar only) and black. I must admit the black one was from the hotel room’s supply. The other two, you can buy from the market.

So if you happen to be in Vietnam and a coffee lover, get these. They are good.

  

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