Question:
Let’s see … Alan’s back, Mike’s knee, Chillidipper’s hip, Dave Lee’s wrist, Don D’s heel … what a bunch of crocks we all are. 
Cheers Colin Wilson
You said it Colin! The really bad part is, I’m a crock at the age of 36! I don’t want to think what my body will be like at 56, 66, or, 76 (should I be so fortunate). — ChiliDipper -gt
Response:
I second the motion, but would say the swings don’t have to be slow, just reduced amplitude. It would be a good time to perfect the Pelz 7:30 & 9:00 finesse swing with all your wedges & clubs up to, say, your 5 iron. Build on success. And don’t push yourself too hard. The golf will still be there when you get back.
My doctor’s advice was to see a pro. He said if you were a good golfer before, you might find that you lost your swing and need to rebuild it. I told him that I really sucked before and he felt that was an even better reason to see a pro. I think the slow motion and the Pelz finesse shots will help as well. I do not want to do anything that would be hard to undo. CA Remove NoSpam to email me directly. Troll intolerant. I took the RSG 2002 Pledge.
Response:
Don’t forget–I just had another session with Dr. Ling’s Thumb of Torture on my foot. The cortisone injections were less painful!!
Sorry, I forgot you … we’ve now got a complete leg. Maybe this is rec.sport.gammy. Cheers Colin Wilson RSG Roll Call: http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=wilsonc Trentham Golf Club: http://www.trenthamgolf.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [snipped the good news that Alan is back to hitting balls after back surgery] Alan: Congratulations. I was happy to hear that the operation was a success back in February, and now I’m even happier that the prognosis for a successful return to the links is a positive one. As I said in a private e-mail (and I’ll share a germ of it with the group), you have a golden opportunity right now to reprogram your old swing with the new "slow motion" swing you’ve been practicing. I encourage you to take *it* to the range the next time you go out. Forget about trying to test the waters and seeing if you can swing at, as GH would say, "at full amplitude." That will only tend to make you swing with the only "full amplitude" swing you know — your old one. Take baby swing, and do it in slow motion, with the slow motion swing you’ve been practicing. You say this slow-motion swing enables you to make a proper weight shift and drop the club neatly into the slot. Great. Go with it. Ratchet up the volume of your swing just a little bit at a time, and the minute you start experiencing some inconsistencies with it, turn the volume back down and stay at that level for a while. Slow motion swings are one of the best drills in the world to teach so many different things in the golf swing. Now that you’re in the unusual position of having had an extended layoff, your muscle memory is… well… as a hypnotist might say… open to suggestion. Rather than trying to swing all-out, which will only tend to make you revert to your old swing, use that slow-motion swing you’ve been practicing. It’s a great way to ramp back up, and I would urge you to ramp it up very gradually. Your back will probably be okay to go farther, quicker. But why would you want to when you have this unique opportunity to incorporate what your slow-motion swing has taught you to do? Best of luck, and good health to you. Randy
I second the motion, but would say the swings don’t have to be slow, just reduced amplitude. It would be a good time to perfect the Pelz 7:30 & 9:00 finesse swing with all your wedges & clubs up to, say, your 5 iron. Build on success. And don’t push yourself too hard. The golf will still be there when you get back.
Response:
Well, the moment I’ve been waiting for finally arrived. Ever since I spent 5 1/2 hours under the surgeon’s knife, I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to start swinging a club again. Let’s see … Alan’s back, Mike’s knee, Chillidipper’s hip, Dave Lee’s wrist, Don D’s heel … what a bunch of crocks we all are. Cheers Colin Wilson
We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first Bionic man. Alan Mike Chillidipper Dave Lee Don D will be that man. Better than he was before. Better . . . stronger . . . faster CA Remove NoSpam to email me directly. Troll intolerant. I took the RSG 2002 Pledge.
Response:
Well, the moment I’ve been waiting for finally arrived. Ever since I spent 5 1/2 hours under the surgeon’s knife, I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to start swinging a club again. Let’s see … Alan’s back, Mike’s knee, Chillidipper’s hip, Dave Lee’s wrist, Don D’s heel … what a bunch of crocks we all are.
Don’t forget–I just had another session with Dr. Ling’s Thumb of Torture on my foot. The cortisone injections were less painful!! Dave Clary/Corpus Christi,TX Home: http://home.stx.rr.com/dclary Never Forget: http://www.politicsandprotest.org RSG Roll Call http://www.rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=claryd
Response:
rec.sport.golf with his/her presence, and uttered…..: <snip Sounds great Al! ‘Sore’ backs are no fun, hope things stay ‘well’. — Mad’Doug Trentham Camp GC, New Zealand RSG Roll Call: http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=stokesd Please remove the apostrophe (‘) to email me
Response:
Well, the moment I’ve been waiting for finally arrived. Ever since I spent 5 1/2 hours under the surgeon’s knife, I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to start swinging a club again.
Let’s see … Alan’s back, Mike’s knee, Chillidipper’s hip, Dave Lee’s wrist, Don D’s heel … what a bunch of crocks we all are. Cheers Colin Wilson RSG Roll Call: http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=wilsonc Trentham Golf Club: http://www.trenthamgolf.com
Response:
[snipped the good news that Alan is back to hitting balls after back surgery] Alan: Congratulations. I was happy to hear that the operation was a success back in February, and now I’m even happier that the prognosis for a successful return to the links is a positive one. As I said in a private e-mail (and I’ll share a germ of it with the group), you have a golden opportunity right now to reprogram your old swing with the new "slow motion" swing you’ve been practicing. I encourage you to take *it* to the range the next time you go out. Forget about trying to test the waters and seeing if you can swing at, as GH would say, "at full amplitude." That will only tend to make you swing with the only "full amplitude" swing you know — your old one. Take baby swing, and do it in slow motion, with the slow motion swing you’ve been practicing. You say this slow-motion swing enables you to make a proper weight shift and drop the club neatly into the slot. Great. Go with it. Ratchet up the volume of your swing just a little bit at a time, and the minute you start experiencing some inconsistencies with it, turn the volume back down and stay at that level for a while. Slow motion swings are one of the best drills in the world to teach so many different things in the golf swing. Now that you’re in the unusual position of having had an extended layoff, your muscle memory is… well… as a hypnotist might say… open to suggestion. Rather than trying to swing all-out, which will only tend to make you revert to your old swing, use that slow-motion swing you’ve been practicing. It’s a great way to ramp back up, and I would urge you to ramp it up very gradually. Your back will probably be okay to go farther, quicker. But why would you want to when you have this unique opportunity to incorporate what your slow-motion swing has taught you to do? Best of luck, and good health to you. Randy
Response:
Well, the moment I’ve been waiting for finally arrived. Ever since I spent 5 1/2 hours under the surgeon’s knife, I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to start swinging a club again. Since my spinal fusion on February 1st, I had not hit a single ball until today.
Great news! Let me know when you are ready to hit the course! G
Response:
Well, the moment I’ve been waiting for finally arrived. Ever since I spent 5 1/2 hours under the surgeon’s knife, I’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to start swinging a club again. Since my spinal fusion on February 1st, I had not hit a single ball until today. My doctor cleared me last Thursday to begin physical therapy and to return to golf – albeit to the range, he does not want me playing 18 holes just yet. So I decided to try my skill (luck?) at a local driving range. I had planned to drive to Irving since I like that range better, but the traffic was backed up on 360 so I opted for Bear Creek. I got a small bucket of balls, maybe 30 or so and began with my 7-iron. Initial results were unspectacular. I had a really difficult time with my weight transfer and my old habit of starting the downswing with the upper body did not fail to make its presence known. So I hit some fat, a few thin, and a few that sliced badly. But by about ball number 8, I hit a straight shot with decent trajectory, though maybe a little high. "Aha! I’m beginning to find my swing" I wishfully thought. The next ball was pretty bad, but by the time I got about halfway through the bucket I had about 4 good shots. I also noticed that my back muscles were very sore and tight – they have gotten incredibly weak after 4 1/2 months of inactivity, including the first two in a brace. At this point I set up a tee and switched to my driver. This actually worked out much better. I had a few really bad shots that occurred because of my poor swing habits, but still nailed a few drives. Actually, I had about 4 shots that went reasonably far (est. carry of 190 – 210) and straight. When I say straight, I mean they did not have a lot of side spin and hook out-of-sight; they went about 20 degrees to the left of where I had intended, but they were not of the duck hook variety – I believe that I simply did not align myself properly. By the end of my session, my back was quite sore although it was simply the type of soreness associated with using weak muscles that have not been worked in a long time; this was not the "I’ve strained my back" type of soreness. So while I had hoped for better results, they were not all that bad. I at least had a few good shots and did not experience the type of pain that I had prior to the surgery, the bone-grinding-bone pain that titanium rods and screws have put at bay. I have practiced a slow-motion swing over the last few weeks and it’s a great one. The weight transfer is perfectly timed, the club falls into the slot, and the ball goes straight and true. I was disappointed that at full speed none of this magnificent swing showed up. But I have confidence that by the fall I will be playing a reasonable round of golf. The waiting of the 4 1/2 months has not been as bad as the thought that I am going to miss RSG-Atlanta. I had looked forward to that for an entire year. But with finances being tight and a full work schedule, it was not meant to be and after today, I realize that it is just as well – my back needs too much work to be ready for a weekend tournament. So y’all have fun and keep us up-to-date on the scores and progress of the tournament. I will feel a little less left out and I will get that much more psyched for RSG-DFW. Alan CA Remove NoSpam to email me directly. Troll intolerant. I took the RSG 2002 Pledge.