Hi Everyone,
It has been an eternity since I have updated this blog. For that I apologize. In truth, I didn’t know what to write and I didn’t want to write. For those of you that know me, you know that I am having the worst season I have ever had.
I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly was the problem. At the start of the season I thought my poor play was based on changing equipment and going through new irons and wedges. In the middle of the season, I just thought I had lost my confidence.
Cleveland Golf has come out with new irons the Red and the Gold. I am now playing the Gold and love them. They are easy to hit and feel solid at impact. I am quite pleased with them and really love hitting them. (Thanks Brent for helping me out)
That being said, I couldn’t figure out why I have been posting the numbers I have been.
My equipment is good, I am swinging great, and the putter is behaving.
Finally, I think I have the answer. It is not the answer I wanted but at least it is an answer. I have to give you some back round information so you can see how I arrived at this new knowledge.
I struggled with a condition called Trigger Finger last year. Trigger finger is where your tendon in your hand swells to the point that you can’t bend your finger. I had it for about six weeks and couldn’t pick up a coffee cup with my left hand during that time. Now skip forward to this year, I was playing in Batavia, Ohio and my left hand started to give me problems again. My left hand was in pain and was swelling but not in the same area I suffered with last year. I thought the Trigger Finger was coming back. Heavens NO, I thought not again…
In an effort to do preventative maintenence, I didn’t tee it up in the second round. I thought I could rest it for 4 or 5 days and then play the tournament in Kankakee, IL. While I was in Kankakee I went out to dinner with a friend of mine on Tour, Bing Lim. Her housing was there for dinner and one of their friends who happened to be a chiropractor, Dr. Matt Hoffman.
I told him what I had been going through and he told me to stop by his office the next day. He said he would take some x-rays and find out what was going on.
So, I went to his office and did a full compliment of tests and x-rays. The answer to my poor play lies not in my hand but my spine. Long story short, I have a Spondolo in L-5. A spondolo is a fracture of the spine. Yes that sounds bad….REALLY BAD. It actually sounds like you should be paralyzed. Thankfully, it is not that bad. It is just not great for golf.
During the entire season, I have been getting very fatigued during my rounds. After walking 18 holes, my hamstrings and calves would be extremely sore and my lower back would have tightness to it. I just thought I needed to be in better shape. Me being me, I just kept pushing myself. I would drag myself to the gym and workout, by running. Duh. I just thought I needed more stamina. Good thought – wrong solution.
I believe the fatigue that I was experiencing on the golf course was leading to a lack of focus and dropped shots. Now everything is starting to make since.
The Spondolo (back fracture) causes the hamstrings to be extremely tight, which leads to muscle imbalance and fatigue. The Doctor also told me that my spine was curved in the area between my shoulder blades. That area was putting pressure on some nerves that controlled the left hand and that was the reason for the swelling.
The good news => The curvature can be adjusted; which he did. I feel so much better; the strength has come back in my hand and my touch is backJ Yippee!
The bad news is that Spondolos never heal, they only get worse. That is what I have to figure out. I am going to see a couple of doctors and get their opinion on the best way to manage and treat it. I still want to play golf and I need to know what the best way to train and practice is.
I know things sound terrible. But Dr. Hoffman helped me tremendously. I feel the best I have felt in years. If I didn’t know about this Spondolo, I would think I was ready for anything. Thanks Doc for helping me identify the problem so I can improve my situation and get back to playing great golf.
I will keep you updated on my progress and my golf…yes, I know that makes you giggle since my updates aren’t always prompt. I don’t like to post non-upbeat news. But in fairness, I thought it was time that you knew what is going on with my golf.
As always, thank you to Cleveland Golf and Tail. You have been fabulous to me and I feel so lucky to be associated with you. Your products are great but the people behind your company are what I truly love…thanks.
To everyone, thank you for your continued support and friendship. I wish you all much happiness and good bouncesJ Tiff
