Anyone working through an injury understands my frustration with not spending any time on the golf course. As I work through my medical issues, I often find myself playing a round of golf in my head. Surprisingly, I never miss a shot, but lip out a few putts (haha). Well yesterday, I decided to drop by Osprey Links and meet up with my friends looping the course.

Blair’s approach on the fourth hole! A short two-putt and he was on to the 5th.

I cannot spend too much time in the sun because of my treatments, but Jeff (GM/Managing Director) offered me a cart so I could zip out and see my friends. It worked perfectly as I was in and out of the sun for about 20 minutes. As I watched Blair and Darin play holes 4 and 5, it became very obvious how much I missed playing. But, I am not one to wallow in self-pity, so I decided to be grateful for the short time I spent on the course.

Not playing for about 6 weeks has had its challenges. I find I have more time on my hands. I am keeping busy managing my health (it is a full-time job for sure), doing small jobs around the house and spending a great deal of time (and drinking a great deal of coffee) with my best friend. These are all important and, given my health, I willingly accept my current situation. But I still dream about playing golf…..it is what I do in the summer!

Holding a golf club felt great yesterday. Too bad I could not even take a swing. Regardless, I am a grateful golfer!

I did not actually realize how much time I spend at the golf course practising or playing. It was like having a part-time job with full-time hours. I added up the amount of time I spend playing, practising or writing about golf and I was logging about 30 hours a week. Oh my, that was a fair bit of time to spend on a hobby. Interestingly, I was still able to work around the house, walk with my wife in the morning, visit with friends, etc. It all seemed to fit very well into my schedule.

Not being able to spend time at the golf course affords me time to write, work on my Level II rules official course, and focus on the constant stream of medical appointments. Basically, I have replaced my time on the links with a focus on other challenges. Overall, things are going fairly well, but I expect they will get tougher over the next few months. Such is the nature of my affliction and I will face it full on with my best friend at my side.

Normally when I am stressed or needing some time to relax, I would hit the links or the practice area. Spending time on or at the course was a great way to recharge and prepare for what was coming next. Fortunately, I will be back at the course when my health is back to normal and I will be a happy camper. In the meantime, my focus is where it should be and I will count the days until I can spend time at the course.

Regardless of what happens from day-to-day, I remain a grateful golfer. See you on the links very soon!