My life on the couch, I am happy to report, is over.I’m very close to being back in the
game.
On Wednesday – six weeks and day since my
hip replacement surgery – I paid an office visit to my surgeon.He studied a set of fresh x-rays, poked
and prodded me on his examining table, then pronounced me pretty much good to
go.
"Everything looks good," he said, clearly
pleased with my progress and his handiwork.
My left hip, which is now a foot-long titanium
thingy that on the x-rays looks like some kind ofMedieval weapon, is healing nicely.My right hip, which wasn’t replaced but
was sort of cleaned of dead and dying bone tissue, is regenerating, just as the
doctor hoped it would.
Can I finally lose the crutches, I asked my
doctor?Yep.The cane?Not unless I need it for balance until I
get my strength back, he told me.
"Now the big question," I said."When can I play golf?"
"Any time, now," said my doctor, much to my
surprise."But you might to go with
an easy swing for a while."
He smiled.I smiled.
When I got home, first thing I did was take my
crutches and my cane down to the deepest, darkest recesses of my the
basement.With any luck, I’ll never
need them again.Then I went for a
walk around my neighborhood.I was a
little weak and a little wobbly, but I’ve gotta say, it
felt good – and no pain.Seven weeks ago, before the surgery, the 50-foot walk to the mailbox
felt like somebody was stabbing me with an icepick on every step.
Tomorrow morning, my plan is to hit a bucket of
balls, two or three buckets, if I can muster the stamina.I won’t push it, though; I’m still a
little afraid of the twisting and turning involved in pulling off a golf
swing.If it turns out all I can manage
is chippingand a few pitch shots, I’ll
take it and be happy.
On Monday, I start the serious three-times-a-week
rehab work to rebuild my strength.Six weeks of doing almost nothing has left my lower body weaker than I could
have imagined.For now, I am taking
three or four walks around my neighborhood every day.I can feel I am getting stronger.It feels good.
I did hit a bucket of balls, from wedges to driver. My hip felt a little tender, and I was definitely pooped afterward. But it felt good to be outdoors hitting golf balls. My plan was to play a round this week.
On Monday, when I went to my first rehab appointment, the physical therapist told me I’m not ready yet for a full round of golf. He said it was okay to chip and putt, maybe hit a few pitch shots, but that my hip was not ready to take the pressure and torque of a full swing. He wants me to hold off for a couple of weeks while he puts me through a series of strengthening exercises, both in his office and at home.
So that’s what I’m doing. Much as I hate to wait, I think he is right. I don’t want to damage my hip in my rush to return.
The Muni Golfer
[9/19/2012 10:59:17 AM]
Glad to here things are going well Joe. I do echo Steve, take it easy with the swing until the strength is fully back.
Steve
[9/14/2012 6:00:49 PM]
Don’t overdo it. Swing easy and you’ll be surprised.
It is four weeks since I had hip replacement
surgery and I’m doing much better, thanks.I’m getting around on crutches, and I’ve been able to cut way back on
the painkillers, meaning my head is clear – at least clear by my
standards.
This past week I even began to putt on the
living room carpet.I cannot tell
you how good that felt.It’s the
simple pleasure in life.In another
couple of weeks, I’ll start out-patient rehab to build up the muscles in my
legs and hip.My return to golf,
however, is still four to six weeks away.
Limited as I am, I’m afraid I’ve spent way too
much time stretched out on the couch, watching TV.The result is, I have come to hate
TV.I’ve got the deluxe cable
package that cost about as much as a car payment-- a gazillion channels, premium movie
channels galore, On Demand – and I still can’t find a damn thing I want
to watch.
I cannot abide reality shows – any and
all of them."American Idol," I hate
it."Big Brother," I hate it even
worse."Dancing with the Stars?"
No, thank you, I’d rather not.
I have come to loathe and avoid local TV news
in ways I never did before.Every
day, all day, from morning til midnight, it is nothing
but a unending assault of the worst humanity has to offer: punks killing punks
over drugs, in neighborhoods I wouldn’t go into on a bet; crooked politicians; perverts;
thieves; innocent children getting caught in crossfires, fires that are almost
always arson.It’s horrible and
depressing and no way to spend a day.
The only thing worse is flipping around the
cable news channels, like Fox News, MSNBC and CNN.They are as predictable as they are hyper-partisan.And just when I think it the network
hosts are the most insufferable, unbearable people on earth, they prove me
wrong by showing the talking-head idiots and buffoons who are the Congress of
the United States, which is the scariest thing of all.These people are in charge? God help us all.
Books
To get away from it all, I have found myself
reading more.Books have become my
refuge.I finished the Steve Jobs
biography I had started weeks ago, then quickly polished off Frank DeFord’s breezy memoir, "Over Time: My Life as a
Sportswriter."
Needing my golf fix in some fashion, I made my
way to the wall-to-wall bookcase of golf books that dominate my home office.I’ve got hundreds of golf books, most of
them sent to me by publishers, ranging from instructional manuals to travel
books, novels to biographies, collections of stories and essays to 20-pound
coffee table picture tomes – great stuff and trash that should have never
been published.
Right away, I dove into John Updike’s literate collection
of essays, "Golf Dreams," for what must be the 10th
time.I took another run at "Golf in the Kingdom," the
cult classic that I have never understood, appreciated or been able to finish,
for that matter; once again, I got bogged down pretty quickly.
I started rereading another of my favorites, "The Fine Green Line," the
account by Wall Street Journal golf scribe John Paul Newport on his year-long
effort to make it to the PGA Tour.If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.Newport, a Texan with a Harvard degree, is
such a wonderful writer the book is impossible to put down.
I read a few chunks of "My Usual Game," the
delightful collection of essays by David Owen, who writes for Golf Digest and
The New Yorker.Owen has such a
light touch I am jealous.I’m also
spending time with a book Owen co-edited, "Lure of the Links: Great Golf Stories," with everything from formal treatises by Bernard Darwin to
modern-day stories by Jaime Diaz, Dan Jenkins and Rick Reilly.
One book in particular caught my eye, Michael
Bamberger’s memoir, "This Golfing Life." Bamberger, of course, is the senior
writer for Sports Illustrated who lives in Philadelphia.He also happens to be a friend of mine,
dating back to our days together at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
I don’t recall "This Golfing Life" getting much publicity or fanfare when it came
out in 2005.That is a shame,
because it deserved better.I am
enjoying it again, page by page.Bamberger is one of the best golf writers of his generation, and his
knowledge of the game, the golfing scene and the people who inhabit it is second
to none.
Bamberger knows everybody and he’s been
everywhere.He wrote two books
about his time caddying, for crying out loud: "The Green Road Home," about
the PGA Tour, shortly after he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania; and "To the Linksland," about his time on the European Tour, which he wrote with his
then-bride, Christine, in tow.
Truth be told, I figure into one chapter of
"This Golfing Life."It’s the
chapter about his years at the Inquirer, which he joined shortly after the
publication of "The Green Road Home."I wasn’t the golfer writer at the time but I was known around the office
to be a golfer, so they gave me the book review.
As Bamberger tells the story, my review was
very close torip-job, and it was
published just as he was interviewing at the Inquirer.He worried that my review might cost him
a job offer, which it did not.Later, after he had joined the Inquirer
and we had become friends, he called me out on the review.
"You ripped me," he complained.
"Ah didn’t rap ya,"
he recalls me saying, mocking my Southern drawl."Ah, lukewarmedya."
Even if that anecdote wasn’t in the book. "This
Golfing Life" would still be worth the price of admission.
No matter how fast I read, the stack of golf
books next to be reading chair seems to grow.Next up is "America’s Gift to Golf," a
collection of golf writing by the peerless Herbert Warren Wind.
I also intend to reread John Feinstein’s
memorable account of a year on the PGA Tour, "A Good Walk Spoiled." Next time you’re in a bookstore and see
that book, check out the blurb on the jacket cover: If you plan to buy only one golf book this season, A Good Walk Spoiled
is the one – The Philadelphia Inquirer.
I wrote that sentence as part of a review of
about a half-dozen golf books that all landed about the same time one
year.They’ve run that blurb on the
cover of "A Good Walk Spoiled" ever since.For years, whenever I would bump into Feinstein at a golf tournament, he
would thank me and say, "The check is in the mail."Yeah, sur.So far, no check.
I could go on.I haven’t even put a dent in the list of
books I keep pulling down from my bookcase.If I’m missing a particular
favorite of yours, let me know.
Hi Joe,
I suggest some humor for you, in particular, Dan Jenkins’ Fairways and Greens,a collection of short stories. I particularly like The Perfect Driver. You will too.
Everywhere
you look today, Augusta National and
chairman Billy Payne are being
heralded for finally inviting two women to join the vaunted host club of the Masters.
Key
word: finally.
This
is all fine and good.I’m sure
former Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and South Carolina financier Darla
Moore will be wonderful additions to the club.They are certainly everything Augusta National was looking for in a
couple of, well, dames: accomplished in their careers, very proper, very rich,
comfortable in world of the Old Boys’ Club, and the kind of golfers who know to
pick up their ball when they lie 8 in the fairway.
Still,
if you ask me, this all comes just a little bit too late.I think the damage to Augusta National’s reputation is
already done.
The
unfortunate thing is, Augusta National
has worked so hard in so many respects over the years to be a good and proud
corporate citizen.They conduct the
Masters with the kind of precision and
eye for detail that is unmatched by the USGA, the R&A or the PGA of
America.
For
the TV viewer, they keep TV commercials to a minimum.For patrons at the tournament, they keep
the tickets, the sandwiches and the beer artificially cheap.For the players, they keep the field
small and uncluttered and the perks unbelievable.For the good of charity, Augusta National gives millions and
millions of dollars to worthy organizations that need the money.
Strictly
from a selfish standpoint, for the media, they give you the finest media center
in the business and they give you run of the clubhouse.I cannot overstate the guilty pleasure
of lingering over lunch on the balcony of the Augusta National clubhouse, enjoying a simple turkey club, sweet
tea and the peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream
That’s
the irony and shame of this whole membership dust-up.Members of Augusta National, as you can imagine, tend to be men of wealth, influence,
intelligence, conscience and pride in their sense of civic duty.Look no further than two members:
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and
Comcast chairman Brian Roberts.
It
is precisely because these men are who they are that I have found it so
confounding for the past 10 years that they so steadfastly refused open the
membership to women as a matter of principle.
Who’s
kidding whom?They did it because
they could.They did it to demonstrate
that nobody but nobody was going to push them around -- nobody was going to
strong-arm or shame them into opening their doors to anybody they didn’t want.
"At
the point of bayonet" is how former club chairman Hootie Johnson put it back in 2002, when he was resisting pressure from Marta Burk to embarrass Augusta National into inducting a
female member.
Hootie and Augusta
National made their point back then, but that what cost?Well, at the cost of painting themselves
into a corner.By waiting so long,
by showing everybody who’s the boss, they’ve managed to damage their brand in
the process.
Every
year a the Masters, Augusta National wanted to talk about
their considerable and noble efforts to grow the game among poor kids and in
impoverished counties around the world, which was fine. But they got snippy and
irritated when the media started asking questions about elephant in the room. It
was almost surreal, and it surely wasn’t the kind of demonstration of PR crisis
management you expect from guys at the helm of America industry.
Give
Billy Payne and Augusta National is moment in the sun.But face it, when the eyes of the world
were on them – eyes that included their own daughters, granddaughters and
young people looking for some wisdom, -- they handled it clumsily.
I
have been missing in action for most of the past couple of weeks because I was
undergoing complete replacement surgery of my left hip, then in a rehab
facility and, for the past three days, at home beginning the long path of recovery.
I
am a pathetic sight.I hobble
around the house with the aid of a walker -- slowly, gingerly, cautiously.I have all manner of restrictions about
what I can and can’t do, where and how I can sit, and sleep, and how I can
manipulate my leg and hip.I can’t
drive for several weeks. I’m on
heavy-duty narcotic painkillers around the clock.They leave me a little foggy and I don’t
like them, but I’ll take the painkillers over the pain.I could be on them for another week, or
two, or three; the doctors say everybody is different. I have little
appetite.
The
good news is, my surgeon assures me I should make a full recovery and be back
to my old life, including golf, in 8-12 weeks.
While
actually playing golf is out of the question for a while, I am in plenty good
shape to once again follow golf, watch golf, write about golf and return to
devoting most of my day to trying to make this website worthy of your time and
attention.
Because
major surgery takes it’s toll, I’m still figuring out what I’m capable of right
now physically, and to be honestly, mentally.Many people take a month off from work
after the surgery I’ve had. But to
my delight, my strength and clarity of mind seem to improve a little each day.
As
I am able, I hope to write more of my own blogs and post more blogs and stories
from Ron Romanik, who has become a major contributor to MyPhillyGolf in
recent month, and from teaching pro Mark
Anderson, who has just joined the website.
Hip
surgery?Huh?
It
was less than six weeks ago, on June 20, that x-rays, then an MRI, confirmed
that I needed a new hip.I immediately
began researching the operation and my options as if I was writing a magazine
story on the subject.I compiled a
research folder and I consulted frequently with three friends who’ve undergone hip
replacement.Two of those guys -- golf
writer Jeff Silverman and attorney Michael McGovern -- had undergone double-replacement
surgery.I thank both of them for
their insights and support in recent weeks, and I bow with respect that they
had both hips done at the same time.
So,
what happened?Turns out, the
explanation for my reduced hip rotation and range of motion that David Ostrow
documented during my early sessions
at FitGolf.com in the spring were
more complicated than either of us imagined. After a couple of sessions in late May
and early June, the manipulation, stretching and exercises were followed by
pain and limping that only grew worse.Before long, Ostrow grew concerned."I think you might have something serious
going on in that left hip," he said.
When
the pain and limping got worse over the next couple of weeks, Ostrow recommended
I see an orthopedist, who would be able to tell very quickly from x-rays if
anything truly worrisome of going on in my hip.To my dismay, the x-rays did.
"You
need a new hip," said the surgeon, almost matter-of-factly, as we viewed the
x-rays together in his office..
There
was significant deterioration of the bone in the femoral head of my hip, the
ball part of the ball-and-socket.My work with Ostrow
hadn’t caused the deterioration; it had simply brought it to the fore and
perhaps enflamed it.
The
surgeon was also blunt, if not grim, informing me that the damage was already done:
my hip wasn’t going to get any better, only worse and more painful.Hip replacement was pretty much the only
option.In the meantime, I
wondered, could I still play golf?
"Yes,"
he said."But how much and for how
long?Let the pain be your guide."
Playing on
My
initial plan was to delay the inevitable surgery until the end of golf season.
I continued to play golf, albeit less and less, into late June and the first
two weeks of July.The pain had
become a dull, constant toothache that was interrupted all too frequently by a stabbing
sensation so sharp it could drop me to my knees. I never knew when the stabbing pain would
hit me – a misstep, a wrong turn, walking to the mailbox, dragging the
trash can around to the front of the house, walking off a green.
Still,
I pressed on, gobbling more and more Aleve and learning to pull off a sort of
half-swing that kept almost all my weight on my back foot.No hip turn, no rotation, no
follow-through.It looked
laughable, like a one-footed hop swing, but I actually began hitting my tee
shots straighter than ever, which didn’t escape my notice or that of my regular
golf buddies.
"Are
you sure you need this operation?" they’d joke.
Yes,
I did.Just to be on the safe side,
I had opted for a second opinion from a second surgeon.This guy agreed on the original
diagnosis, plus he advised that I needed to get the surgery sooner, not
later.Waiting until the end of the
golf season not advisable.He was
right and I knew it.By then, the
pain was almost paralyzing.I could
no longer play golf; I could barely function.
The operation
I
went under the knife early on the morning of July 31.I will spare you the gruesome details of
how they do a hip transplant, other than to note that it involves a sort of medical
pry bar to pop the ball out of the socket, then a power saw.I think you get the picture.In the place of bone, I now have a
titanium hip joint that promises to set off metal detectors in airports at home
and abroad. Afterward the surgery, they staple you up
and send you off to the recovery room with a morphine drip.
Going forward
I
can’t tell you how much I miss golf.This break is different from winter, when you expect to put the clubs
way for a couple of months; for us golfers in the Northeast, that is part of
the natural rhythm of the game.But
not this, not in the middle of the season. Golfus-interruptus.
If all goes well, I should be back on the golf course sometime in October.
For
now, I can’t even putt on the carpet.What I can do is move from my desk chair, which I had brought down to
the dining room table, to the couch, careful to keep my hips elevated above my
knees.
Sitting
down is hard; so is getting up.Then again, virtually every single ordinary routine of life is suddenly a
project that must be thought out and carefully executed to minimize bending,
pressure on the hip and getting myself into any bad angles.
When
I got home a few days ago, I was miserable, in the depths of despair about the
prospect of the next few weeks as a near-invalid.But each day, it has become a little
easier, a little better – emphasis on "little."
Yesterday
afternoon, I ventured outside my front door for the first time.I opted for crutches over the walker, if
only to preserve a shred of dignity.I made it up and down the sidewalk a couple of times, breathing in the
fresh air.The things you
take for granted.
I
am on the mend, physically and mentally.I can’t wait to take a pain-free step and a golf swing. I can’t wait to
get my life back.
Glad you are feeling better, slowly but surely, Joe. I didn’t know you were undergoing this/underwent it until just now via your blog. Bless your heart. Don’t hesitate to holler if I can help. I’m a short hop away.
Joe B.
[8/14/2012 5:59:09 AM]
You were hitting it down the middle befor surgery and I’m sure you will come back hitting it down the middle when your able to play again. Have a fast and safe recovery and hope to see you on the tee again soon!
The Muni Golfer
[8/12/2012 7:41:14 PM]
Joe, wishing you a very speedy recovery. Enjoy the golf on TV and find some good new golf books to read.
Jane Sellers
[8/12/2012 5:53:58 AM]
Glad to see you getting back into it, slowly, but surely. Meantime, enjoy watching the PGA Championship.
One Putt Dan
[8/12/2012 5:29:54 AM]
Time to get Tiger Woods golf on your IPad. Rehab time will fly by. Get well soon!
Steve
[8/11/2012 9:59:18 AM]
Did you get the Nicklaus hip? That should help your golf game.
fran21356
[8/11/2012 9:04:50 AM]
Get well soon Joe. On the bright side, no chores around the house!
It’s a great week for golf
but, alas, I won’t be able to do much posting.For the next few days, I’m afraid my
focus and attention will be largely required elsewhere.Pardon the interruption.
That’s the question I’ve gotten in a handful of
emails, ever since it became clear that this year’s venue for the Open, Pine Valley, was going to attract more
than the usual number of golfers trying to make it into the field of 72.
Most years, GAP conducts two or three qualifiers for the Open. This year,
because of the allure and mystic of Pine Valley, GAP increased it to four.
Just over 600 club pros and elite amateurs competed
to try to claim one of the 41 spots up for grabs in the four qualifiers (31
players were exempted into the field).According to GAP’s website,
club pros paid an entry fee of $185, amateurs paid $135, for an average of $160
per player, multiplied by 600 .Ballpark total: $96,000.
On Friday, I put the question to Mark Peterson, executive director of GAP: Is it the financial windfall it appears
to be?Where is the money going?
"There will be a little bit of overflow, but
not at the level people think doing the calculations in their heads," said
Peterson.
Fact is, said Peterson, on virtually all other years, GAP loses money on the Open.Even with this year’s bump from Pine Valley, if you cost-average over
the past five years, GAP still loses
money on the Open.
"Year in and year out, we lose money on this
event," said Peterson."We are going to break even this
year and potentially make a little profit, but not at the level you presume."
The reason, he said, is the cost of putting on
the Open, includingthe expense of spectator control
(1,500 are expected) recruiting and feeding lunch to 150 volunteers who will
work the event, plus coordinating emergency services with the township.
This year, GAP
used some of the revenue from the qualifiers to increase the purse from $35,000
to $50,000.(First place is
$10,000, second is $6,500, third is $4,500).
At most GAP
events, 100 spectators or less is the norm.For the Open, they have sold 1,506 tickets (proceeds to the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust).
"When you conduct an event at Pine Valley, there are logistical
things that don’t exits for a regional golf association," said Peterson."It is exponentially more
difficult.
GAP does a wonderful job running their events. First class all the way. My understanding is that participation is at a high. kudos to all involved.
Not sure about the GAP Open, but it would be nice to see GAP lower the cost to enter their tournaments. If the role of GAP is to promote the game of golf, they would be well served to lower the cost of entry. $135 + cart/ caddie for a qualifier is steep. And if qualifed, the cost continues on for each day of the event. How many potential players do not participate due to the high cost?? $135 + + + is steep for a young player (or even an employed adult). Multiplied by how many events?? Lowering costs would truly be promoting the game and GAP should take a serious look at the hurdles they create to participation due to elevated cost of entry & playing.
GAP is a first class organization, but their costs just may be restricting access for a good number of players who desire to participate. It should be looked at for future years.
Hardly week passes that a
course in the area doesn’t send me an email about a golfer who made a
hole-in-one at their facility.But
this one, from Donna Horvath at Honeybrook GC,
stood out from most.
All three family members of
the Wren family, from Morgantown, have
aced a hole at Honeybrook.
Mom Mary Wren is the latest.Who’s next, the family dog?
Thanks to Donna for the following note on the Wrens:
One Family; Three Hole-in-ones
Honeybrook, PA –In order
to spend time together, many families share the same hobbies and interests. For
three members of the Wren family from Morgantown it’s more than just a hobby.
Thirteen-year-old RJ, his mother Mary and father Russ are all skilled golfers.
Once or twice a week they golf together to bond and improve their game. And
now, the Wren’s have achieved something never before done at their home course,
Honeybrook Golf Club. Each family member got a
hole-in-one.
In March of 2010, RJ Wren was the first member of his family to score an ace.
While out golfing with his father Russ and two friends, RJ drove his ball onto
hole 17’s green with a 5-wood and watched it roll right into the hole. He was
only ten years old.
A year later in May 2011, his father Russ followed it up with the whole family
there to witness. On a difficult par 3, with environmental hazards and
sand traps surrounding the green, Russ
hit his 6-iron the perfect distance and received the family’s second
hole-in-one.
The Wren’s weren’t satisfied yet. On June 15, 2012 it was Mary’s turn. On the
exact same hole her husband completed in a single shot, Mary finished the
family legacy with a 7-iron to receive her first hole-in-one ever (and the
family’s third).
While RJ’s parents have mostly picked up golf for fun, RJ hopes to someday play
college golf. He began golfing when he was 7 and has since won over 30
tournaments. He was two-time Philadelphia Jr. Player of the Year and was GAP
(Golf Association of Philadephia) Boys’ Jr.-Jr.
winner in 2011. This spring RJ qualified for the 2012 Kid’s World Championship
Tournament at Pinehurst, NC. While RJ continues to improve his game and lower
his 3-handicap, his contribution to the Wren’s three hole-in-ones won’t be the
last history he makes.