The trip has become a yearly patronage. During the first weekend in June for the last six years you can find me in La Grande. Playing golf in a scramble to benefit the veterans of the military. It has been fun to be invited back year after year. This year was a little different for me, as an injury popped up, leading into the tournament. Happening in the final week of April, it left me wondering about going, this year. I was hoping there would be time for healing in the days of May. Luckily, there was time for healing up enough to go on the trip. Being a member of the team, the last thing I wanted was to be forced out of the play. My desire to fulfill my spot in the scramble motivated a month of working to rehabilitate the injury. Happening to the upper section of my right leg. Everything seemed to work out well in my month of rehab. Using the foam roller, chiropractic help, and sessions with a trainer. When I went to test the leg by playing golf, before leaving. The results came back with a pain free golf swing, I could put to use. The only pain happening when I would bend at the waist. Either teeing the ball up, or bending to pick the golf ball from the cup. Both of which could be dealt with, in order to play in the tournament. I was ready to go and the weather appeared to be welcoming. We left on a sunny Friday morning for the small town in Eastern Oregon. Excited for the Saturday morning shotgun start.
One of the interesting aspects of a shotgun style golf tournament is where the day begins. With groups starting off each hole of the golf course, we could begin anywhere. Which, can end up being a struggle without much knowledge of the course. A shotgun format on a course of which people are familiar is no problem. When the course has been played a countless number of times, familiarity helps understand each of the holes. Even though, I have played Buffalo Peak a handful of times, I found out how unfamiliar I was with the track. This year, our round began on the tenth hole and I wasn’t ready. For whatever the reason might be, the first few holes of the second nine, were more challenging than I remembered. It could be because I’m used to these holes arriving later in the day of golf. Usually, we have begun our play somewhere on the first nine holes. Providing time for getting into the round of golf, hitting a good number of shots. Before, taking on the beginning stretch of the second nine holes. Our team came out of the gates with some struggle. Having trouble finding ways of making a par. For my place, the holes felt overly difficult, from what I remembered. Especially, the first three or four holes, beginning with the tenth. It felt like by the time we caught our breath, it was too late. When we walked off our ninth hole and started onto the front nine holes. The feeling of bewilderment inside of me, couldn’t be ignored.
Our team has been familiar with making a bogey here and there, but our first nine this year felt like an onslaught. Moving on to our second nine holes of golf, which would be the first nine holes at Buffalo Peak. I was hoping for our ship to be righted by some different golf holes. Recalling how we normally begin our tournament with better scores. While, understanding we usually start somewhere on the first nine. My hope came to fruition within the first few holes of our second nine. The pars slowly began piling one on top of the other. By the time, we got partway through our second nine holes, we had made just a couple bogeys. The golf was starting to become familiar, again. We still struggled to some extent. Without recording a birdie for the day, which was unusual. In years gone by, we normally managed at least a couple birdies throughout the day. However, the day of golf remained fun, even with the ups and downs. One of the real tests for me was managing the pain from my injury. The injury to my right leg that I had spent the previous month attempting to heal. Like the test round of golf, I had played about a week before departing. The golf swing felt no pain when being performed. However, I did notice something happening with the injury. Something that was happening the previous week, but this time, I managed a kind of solution.
The pain happening when I would bend at the waist was continuing. I went into the golf tournament planning to make at least one adjustment. The first idea to alleviate the pain came from the round of golf I played to test out my leg. Being given the margarita tee was really helpful in minimizing the pain, on that day. Giving me the opportunity to get the golf ball balancing on the tee relatively quickly. I committed to using the margarita tee for most all of the golf day. Making use of the tee was helping with the level of my pain, but I wanted to implement another suggestion. That idea given to me was to simply go down to one knee when teeing up the ball, instead of bending at the waist. My first thought when being given the tip was to be stubborn. Going down to a kneeling position in order to place the golf ball on the tee, felt silly. I couldn’t think of a time when kneeling on a tee box had occurred. However, it was good advice, so I kept it in the back of my mind. During the golf tournament, obviously, I didn’t want to be kneeling often. The action felt like it would make me look silly. On the other hand, I wanted to minimize the feeling of pain, as much as I could. So, every couple of holes, and more often as the day continued. I decided that it didn’t matter how silly I might have looked, I wanted to lessen the pain in my leg. I would say the concept of kneeling on the tee box did help, but kneeling on the greens was another story.
Similar to the idea of kneeling down on the tee box, when teeing up the golf ball. The same kind of suggestion was given when I was on the putting greens. There was pain being experienced on the putting surfaces. When I would have to bend at the waist and retrieve my golf ball from the cup. The only difference between my pain being felt when teeing the ball up, verses when picking the golf ball out of the cup, was timing. In grabbing the ball out of the cup, the bending at the waist was done quickly. I was leaning over to pick up the golf ball instead of trying to steady in on a tee top. Just like the concept of kneeling on the tee box felt silly. The same emotion came with the idea of kneeling on the greens. I had never really seen it done in my past and it seemed silly. Kneeling on the greens was an idea I did want to avoid, if possible, knowing it wasn’t the major source causing the pain in my leg. However, I did get into a situation on our tenth hole of the scramble. Two golf balls found their way into the cup and one of them was mine. Instead of leaning over to pick the golf balls out of the cup. I decided to take a knee, in order to give myself more time, without the pain of balancing on my right leg. The action of going down on one knee to retrieve the two golf balls was a good idea in the moment. But, it reminded me of a good reason for trying to refrain from kneeling on the putting surfaces.
The best thing for a putting surface is for it to be smooth. Without any marks or indentations that could bump the golf ball off of its intended line, towards the target. When I knelt down on the green to grab the golf balls out of the cup. I wasn’t thinking about the impact of kneeling down on the putting surface of the first green. The consequence of that action didn’t occur to me until I stood. I was actually walking onto the next tee box, when I felt a ping in my brain. Carrying the reason why kneeling down to get the golf balls probably wasn’t the greatest idea. There was little doubt in my mind, the weight of my knee probably made an indentation on the green. Even though my action might have stopped the pain from feeling worse. It wasn’t a respectful thing to do, in light of the number of groups still needing to putt on the green. I chose, for the remainder of the day, not to kneel on another putting surface. Kneeling felt okay and even a good idea when teeing the ball up, to begin a hole, when maintaining balance for a few seconds was necessary. However, for the spit seconds of retrieving the ball from the cup, I decided it wasn’t needed. I wanted to respect those putting behind us, by leaving as smooth a surface, as I could.
The annual trip to La Grande during the first weekend in June, was another pleasure. The weekend greeted us with partly sunny skies and warm temperatures. Making me thankful for the shorts I had thrown into my suitcase, at the last moment of packing. The move I made, just in case, turned out to be an important maneuver. The pain in my right leg turned out to be another success story. All the work being put in during the month of May. Day after day of making sure I spent the time, working with the foam roller. Getting my right leg to the point where I could test it out with a pre-trip round of golf. That day of golf gave me loads of information, which made the trip to play in the golf tournament feasible. The couple bits of information being taken from that day, seriously helped the trip. First, the knowledge that my golf swing could be executed without pain, which was probably the best sign. Second was an understanding of where the pain was going to happen. The pain was occurring when I did anything that caused me to bend at the waist. From the knowledge gained on that day, I was given the idea of using the margarita tee. The tee variation helped ease the pain by making the process of teeing up the golf ball, easier. I also took into the golf tournament, the option kneeling, to help ease the pain in my right leg. All the information, effort, and tools made the trip to La Grande another year of positivity.
A Journey With Cerebral Palsy 