As I sit here watching Dustin Johnson get the short end of the stick in the PGA Championship, with rain outside my window, I thought I’d take some time to take inventory of my own game. It’s been a while, but then again, it’s been a while since I’ve even stepped on the course.
I’ve made mention before about some kind of rib pain that hit me on the driving range about five weeks ago. I was hitting shots when suddenly, in my follow-through, it felt like someone stuck a knife between my ribs in my side, kind of more toward my back.
I hung the clubs up for a week while I was in pretty bad pain, which only really affected me when coughing, sneezing, or swinging a golf club. At that point, I left town for vacation for three weeks. It slowly improved during that time. When I got home, I gave it one more week, which took me up to yesterday.
I went out to the driving range yesterday to test out the situation. I started with some nice easy wedges which caused no trouble so after a while, I throttled up to some full shots. I’m happy to say that aside from some slight tenderness, there was no trouble, and even a day later, I still feel fine.
On the bad side, after not having picked up a club for five weeks, I wasn’t feeling very comfortable or confident. I wasn’t hitting the ball terribly, but the rust was obvious.
On the better side, I didn’t lose as much ground in the short game as I expected. After finishing at the range, I went to the practice green where I felt much more in tune. More with chips and pitches than with putting, but that will come back quickly.
Surprisingly, the stuff from my last lesson that I had right before the rib injury came back pretty quickly on the driving range. Without question, my practice journal is a big help there. I also use it to keep notes from my lessons so I can easily put together problems with causes and fixes down the road.
At that lesson, I had worked on not fanning the club face open on the takeaway, as well as my ever-present issue of making sure my tempo is solid because when it’s not, my transition from the top is poor, causing me all sorts of problems.
I concentrated on those things and overall, it wasn’t a bad day at the range. A few more sessions, and I should be right back to where I was.
In a few weeks, I have a big change coming which will directly affect my quest (and life, in general) in a positive way. Stay tuned for full details on that.
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Glad to hear you’re OK. Sometimes, an injury that seems insignificant can keep you away from golf for quite a while. I missed a full year of golf due to a teeny-tiny pinched nerve a couple of years ago.
Jim Dauer
FullForesome.com
My advice is to avoid hitting a large bucket of balls the first week back–and of course Rest Ice Compression Elevation for any sore body parts.
It has been quite some time since I last posted. I too am coming off a couple injuries myself and just started playing again. I actually did a lot better than I anticipated. Playing just nine holes, I shot a 37,38,39,40 and 41 my first five times out on five different area courses. Injured knee kept me down for six months followed by a shoulder problem, which held me down for another three months. In addition, my house flooded July 8 and we were forced to move out for three months until repairs can be done so things got very hectic for the past couple months. But, all and all, both injuries are fine now, house is 65% completed and, as my scores will attest to, golf game is shaping up nicely. Looking forward to start reading your blog again.
Follow Up to Previous Post:
Played 18 today and shot a 38-41 for a 79. I am very pleased and hope I can continue to improve. Struck ball very well. Putting was adequate. GIR’s not the best but not bad either. Fairways hit was just over 50% which is not good for me.
Fanning the club open on the take away generally leads to a weaker shot off to the right. Try using a club as an alignment guide on the ground and check your swing 1/4 up, 1/2 up, 3/4 up, and at the top.
I really liked your blogs and you are an inspiration for me…I haven’t picked up a stick in about 8 months so I’m dreading hitting the practice tee, yet excited about getting back in the game. I’m sorry for all your bad luck but hey, your game was awesome! Take care and keep up the positive attitude.