Tag Archives: sports injury

Pickleball Anyone, Part 2

19 Nov

We play pickleball once a week now. I find myself looking forward to it more than my regular golf games. Uh oh, does this mean I have lost my passion for golf?

There are various reasons for this new sentiment. It is the end of the year, and we are facing the rainy monsoon season! Golf is not enjoyable when the round is interrupted by rain and thunder. Then we have to wait out the rain. By then, the body has turned cold, and the momentum and mood are lost. Ugh.

It is even more unenjoyable when the siren does not go off, and collectively, everyone wants to continue playing in wet conditions. Ugh. I find wearing my raincoat to play very uncomfortable, but needed to stay dry. Then there are other challenges – wet gloves, slippery grips, heavy shots, and soggy fairways. The list can be endless! Ugh.

As pickleball is an indoor activity, covered and not subjected to crappy weather, it is a better option than golf, especially during this time of the year. And the best part is I can play with my left hand without aggravating my tennis elbow! Yay.

So, if I play less golf, it’s okay because I have an alternative activity to sweat instead of being a couch potato at home and perpetually glued to my iPad Mini.

Pickleball Anyone?

12 Nov

Two weeks ago, hubby and I decided to try a new game, pickleball! And boy, what a fun game! A combination of three racket sports—badminton, tennis, and ping-pong—I find the sport low-impact and great for a good sweat.

So far, we have played twice in a covered but open-air sports complex. It’s a good thing the group plays doubles on a rotational basis instead of singles, and everyone works up a sweat in less than half the duration compared to a round of golf.

I chose to play using my left hand to avoid aggravating my tennis elbow. And it’s okay! I’m surprised at my agility. The only thing I have yet to master is serving the ball. Other than this, playing with the left hand has been enjoyable.

I’m glad we picked up this new sport to vary our sports activity, as golf has been very exasperating with no improvements but more injuries. So, pickleball, anyone?

Derailed Again

5 Nov

Last Thursday was a public holiday, and I got derailed. We opted not to play golf and went out instead. It felt like the weekend, so much so that Friday felt weird. I was thrown off balance and was not in the mood to write. My mind was blank because of the weekday public holiday. I was too much in a lull to think about writing.

Then the weekend came, and we played a round of golf on Sunday. It was not a good round. The elbow hurt. Boo hoo hoo. What am I going to do? The mind has slackened, the pain has not subsided, and the body is protesting. Sniffles.

Time to Reset

29 Oct

After returning from Japan and taking a few days to rest, we went to Malacca with some friends for two rounds of golf. I wondered if I would play well after laying off for over two weeks. Well, I found out.

My tee-off was terrible—I kept pulling to the left most of the time for both games. And putting – oh gosh, it was exasperating. I didn’t play my best with such errand abilities. The only plus point for the short getaway was the group. We laughed so much, and it looked like this was what we did more than playing golf. Hahaha.

Unfortunately, my tennis elbow still hurts. Maybe that’s why I was conscious of the pain and was careful when golfing to avoid aggravating it further. But it was futile. Sigh. I should take a proper break to reset the body. And it’s a long road to recovery as far as the elbow is concerned. Boo hoo hoo.

Timely Rest

8 Oct

I’m officially taking a break from golf. Typically, on Tuesday, I’d have a round of golf. But with the tennis elbow injury persisting, it’s best to rest.

The last game on Sunday was not a good outing. There was no distance upon tee-off for fear of aggravating the elbow, and it was a domino effect for subsequent shots, taking more strokes than necessary. Sigh, it wasn’t the best, but I didn’t let it get to me. I told myself I merely wanted the exercise.

Separately, the monsoon season has started, and it rains almost daily. Remember the game last Thursday that was a washout? So, a little less golf to get a timely two-week rest might be the right thing to do. Why two-weeks? Ahh, find out on Friday! Stay tuned.

A New Injury! Part 2

1 Oct

The stubborn me is still playing golf with a tennis elbow that hurts to heaven! Holy moly, I need to be disciplined and rest. In the last two games, I resorted to various methods to suppress the nagging discomfort with pain relief spray or cream, elbow strap, and pain killer. Did they help? Yes and no. Sigh.

Not only does the elbow feel the pain, but the returned score is a smack in the face for confidence and ability. One can’t have it all good all the time, right? Playing good golf is never a sure thing. There will be highs and lows. There’s no need to elaborate on the highs, but lows are injuries besides putting woes, chipping yips, and endless other reasons.

I have lined up two more games to play before I give my elbow a good two weeks of rest. Hopefully, this will work. It’s no fun playing golf in pain and acquiring more injuries to hamper the activity that I enjoy most.

A New Injury!

27 Sep

Golf is a dangerous sport! I picked up a new injury last week. After years of playing with minor injuries here and there on the body, my latest injury is on my right elbow, a new spot. It hurts, ouch.

I have to say I’ve never had tennis elbow issues all these years, but on the left wrist mostly. And I would wear a wrist brace to protect my wrist. The wrist is no longer an issue, thank goodness.

I suspect I picked up the tennis elbow problem from the tournament on Monday two weeks ago. I must have taken too much of a divot. Ouch, again. What else can I do but rest?

But the rest period is not long enough for a full recovery as I’m resting for a few days only when it should be weeks. So, I have to rethink my golf outings if I want a full recovery. Boo hoo hoo.

New Injury!

21 Jun

I picked up a new injury from golf! It is the abductor pollicis brevis of my right hand. Uh oh. I don’t know how or when, but the game on Sunday resulted in a lot of pain.

I could not chip or putt as I could feel the muscle pulling. I couldn’t even hold the clubs properly. Ouch, that’s how bad it felt. A few days of rest did not even help. Today, I had a game I had already committed to before the injury – I felt trepidation. Will I be in pain?

So, I took some preventive measures by applying a pain relief cream and taking a painkiller. Did these measures help? A little.

My golfing buddy gave me the Perskindol Cool Spray to use on my hand, which helped a lot more. However, I had to modify my gripping the clubs to reduce the pull of the muscle. Sigh, all these injuries and so much golf still to play.

I must learn to manage my pain and injuries; otherwise, no more games and rest to heal. Golf is so damaging, not just to the confidence in our ability to play well, but also to our bodies.

Day 2: Jakarta, Part 2

9 Aug

Yesterday after lunch at the club, we went for a day tour of the city. We visited the Jakarta Cathedral and the Istiqlal Mosque.

Beautiful architecture

Both places of worship had very different and fascinating architecture. I even felt a sense of peace upon entering the premises, which was unexpected but embraced nonetheless.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel to rest. But some of us detoured to have body massages and foot reflexology. I opted for the foot massage to ease my pain from the plantar fasciitis. My masseur was excellent, as it did help tremendously.

The final touch using a hammer to my legs!
Simple yet satisfying

By nightfall, I was drained of energy and had an early night after a simple Bakso dinner. So far, I am very impressed with Jakarta. We play Suvarna Jakarta Golf Club the next day.

Weekend Interclub Games, Part 1

1 Aug

Over the weekend, hubby and I participated in our golf club’s Interclub away games. It was a short and tiring trip down South for the sixty players from our club for two interclub matches. We left in two buses in the wee hours of the morning for Palm Resort Golf & Country Club.

From the clubhouse overlooking the fairways beyond

The Saturday afternoon tee-off was at the Allamanda course. We were unfamiliar with the challenging course layout, but enjoyable nonetheless. Thank goodness I resolved my approach shot problem, and it helped. However, we lost our match to the better pair. For the record, I made 31 putts.

The hospitality shown to us was second to none. Everyone had a good time. Although we were the visiting team, we gave the home team a good fight and won 12.5 points against their 7.5 points in the Matchplay format. The match trophy is ours until the next Interclub game again to decide who will hoist the trophy.

It was a nice feeling to end with a win. Our entourage bade farewell to our host and checked into the hotel. I was so tired because the plantar fasciitis on my right foot acted up, and walking anymore after the game was killing me. I did 15,871 steps, covering 10.41km.