A Journey With Cerebral Palsy

For me, there is a challenge with placing a golf ball onto a regular tee. The trembling in my hands, like the type making it more difficult to putt, also hamper my ability to set the golf ball onto the tee. Cerebral palsy making my hands quiver from time to time, means that when I go to set the ball on the tee, my trembling can cause the ball to fall off the side, of the tee top. As I reach for the golf ball on the grass and try setting it on the peg, again. Sometimes, my second attempt might not even work, as the ball might fall to the grass for a third time, or a fourth. When the missed attempts at placing the golf ball on the tee begin piling up, some exacerbation, at times, begins creeping into my emotions. There have been moments, when I will kneel down onto one knee, making sure the ball stays balanced on the tee. It always bums me out when I experience these kinds of glitches. Especially, when it might be happening more frequently, due to an injury. The injury, making it even more difficult to find balance on my right leg. This happened for me, when playing golf, a couple weeks back. I had suffered an injury in the upper part of my right leg. The pain was occurring in my right hip and down the quad on my right side. However, I could comfortably swing a golf club, so I wanted to try a day of playing. Trying to find out how the leg would ultimately respond. 

There feels like a strong cerebral palsy component to this battle. My disability, in itself, makes the process of teeing up a golf ball more challenging. Having to steady the round ball on a relatively flat surface, at the top of a small stick. The higher I want to tee the ball up, the more challenging it feels to get the golf ball balanced on the tees surface. Because, I lose any kind of stability point, by using the ground. For instance, when the top of the tee is lower to the ground. There are times when I might be able to rest a finger or part of my wrist on the grass. Having the option of doing this, helps with the stability in my fingers that are being used to balance the golf ball. With the enlargement of the face of the driver today, the golf ball should probably be teed higher, to promote good shots. The combination of these factors increases my challenge of placing the golf ball on the tees surface. I also have a personal preference of having the golf ball teed up high. Because, my swing is challenged when it comes to getting my golf shots into the air. Having the golf ball teed up a little higher, makes getting the ball into a higher flight, more likely. Then, we bring the challenge of balance into the equation. 

Cerebral palsy makes my ability to balance more challenging. On the golf course, this has an impact through many aspects of playing the sport. From the actual golf swing, which relies on having balance and power. My swing is naturally slowed, due to my challenges in maintaining stability during the swing. However, my decrease in balance works against me in more subtle ways, while on the course. The mechanism that go with playing the game, like teeing the ball up, or retrieving the golf ball from the cup. I have found these small movement require much of my concentration on balancing my body, to execute. The muscles designed to stabilize my body when bending at the waist, can let me down. Especially, when they become tired or slightly injured.  As we know, cerebral palsy causes the muscles in my body to be tight and rigid. Not lending themselves to movement of fluidity. Often, when a golfer is seen bending down to tee up a golf ball, or pick a golf ball out of the cup. It often looks effortless, like the process isn’t bothersome to their movements pattern. When for me, even when completely healthy, I think about those movements, while making them happen. I feel aware of the level of stability, or lack thereof, when I bend at the waist to tee the ball up, or retrieve the golf ball from the cup. When I can feel an injury, it causes me to become more cautious.

With the stabilizer muscles in my body playing such a role in teeing the ball up and grabbing the ball from the cup. I figured with my injury to those muscles on my right side, the day might be challenging. I could feel the soreness in my right quad muscle, on the very first teeing ground. When I pulled a wooden tee out of my pocket, holding it with the golf ball resting on the top. Using the golf ball for leverage, I would bend at the waist, against my right leg, and poke the tee into the ground. When I stood on the tee box, ready to lean on my driver, for support. I guessed the movement of teeing up the ball would be painful. I wasn’t mistaken and when I went to place the golf ball onto the surface of the tee, I felt the pain. My hand trembled from the pain in my right leg, but I managed to place the ball onto the tees top. As my day of golf went on, the painful feeling of teeing the ball up, worsened. The pain being felt on the first tee was not too bad. If the level had remained there throughout the day, it would have been fine. However, as my right leg became more and more tired. The chore of teeing up the golf ball became more challenging. It was so much about pushing the wooden tee into the ground, as it was maintaining balance to place the ball on the tee top. The pain and tired muscles made keeping my hand steady, while holding the golf ball, almost impossible. As the day wore on, I would struggle more and more with getting the ball to steadily balance on the tee top.

The pain being felt from placing the golf ball on the tee wasn’t the only painful motion during the day. Another maneuver in the game of golf, not having to do with hitting the golf ball, would be retrieving the ball from the cup. Which, causes me to bend at the waist, much in the same way, as teeing the ball up for my tee shot. One main difference in picking the golf ball out of the hole is leaning below the surface of the ground. Causing me to lean over even further than I would, in teeing the ball up for a driver. Another main difference with retrieving the golf ball from the cup would be a more minimal use of balancing. When grabbing the ball to pick it up, I’m not trying to steady myself, while attempting to balance the ball on the tees surface. Retrieving the ball from the cup is a movement done more quickly. However, during the day of golf, any need of balancing on my right leg, for any amount of time, was hurtful. Meaning, picking the golf ball out of the cup, added to the fatigue being felt in the right leg. Translating itself to making teeing the ball up, more painful, as the day progressed. A major way of easing the pain I was feeling, came from my playing partner. Who, handed me a different kind of tee to try out. 

I had heard of a margarita tee before, but was reluctant to try one of them. The reason is pretty simple in my mind and relates to my life, as a whole. At times, it feels like if I take the easier route with something physical, I could lose the ability to perform the movement, normally. The use of different kinds of tees, seems an ideal situation to describe my thoughts. The margarita tee has a much larger surface at the top of the tee, looking like a miniature margarita glass. Kind of in a bowl shape, making it much easier to balance the golf ball. When I began using the tee, things became much easier, and less painful. It didn’t take nearly the balance to set the ball on the margarita tee. My hands could be trembling a bit and it felt like no problem. The surface at the top of the tee was that big. Allowing me to not be bent at the waist for nearly as long, getting me out of that painful position, more quickly. However, if it weren’t for the pain in my leg, I wrestle with whether using the margarita tee would be positive. You see, having the challenge of balancing the ball on the regular size tee, feel helpful. It forces me to practice working on my balancing skill. Holding my body in a stable balanced position and steadying my hand to balance the golf ball on the tee. The activity of placing the golf ball on a normal tee, could be looked upon as a small way of helping my cerebral palsy improvement. 

What if I just carried both types of tees in my pocket? That sounds like it would make for a good solution. Pulling out the normal structured tee when my body might be feeling good. While, the margarita tee would be there for the times I’m not feeling so steady. Because, even when I’m not in pain, my hands can become shaky from nervous energy. It could be from playing with people I don’t know, or don’t normally play golf with. Circumstances like this have been known to cause shakiness in my body. Having the option of pulling out a margarita tee, when I feel uncomfortable, would be a good tool. As for the golf day in question, I was thankful for the suggestion, and presentation of the margarita tee. The tee was given to me in the middle of the first nine holes we played. The first time I pushed the margarita tee into the ground I was surprised. Lifting the golf ball with my fingers in order to set it on the surface of the tee, I braced myself for pain. Even though I felt pain in my leg, like with the normal tee, the margarita tee made the process much easier. The bowl like shape on the top of the tee was awesome. Feeling like such a big space, someone could probably bounce a golf ball onto the top. It took me no time to set the golf ball on top of the margarita tee, reducing the time spent leaning on my painful leg. The margarita tee saved my day. Most likely reducing the pain enough for me to play the entire round of golf. 

The margarita tee was a saver of this day of golf. I have no idea if I would have been able to finish without this type of tee. It truly saved me meaningful time of trying to hold my balance on the right leg. A leg suffering through injury to my right quad muscle. The day of golf was also done with a look toward an upcoming golf trip. With my injury happening about a month prior to this day. I wanted to find out how the healing process to my right leg, had been progressing. There was pain during the day of golf, but not enough to turn me away from an upcoming trip. As the days following the round of golf played themselves out. I found my right leg to recover well. Even feeling a little better from the movements involved with playing. No doubt, being presented with the margarita tee helped the situation. So, in many ways I gained a great tool in the margarita tee from going through my injury. With the idea of not switching to only using the margarita tee, but also wanting to continue the challenge involved with using the normal tees. The margarita tee also gives me an option if I feel as though my hands are a little extra shaky, for whatever the reason. It was a fun day of golf, providing me another way to help my cerebral palsy improvement.