Well I was able to get back out on the course for the first time in 2017. It happened on February 17th. It had been 10 weeks since the last time I had played, and the rust soon became apparent as I hit my opening tee shot on to the parking lot. The good news is that it can only get better from there. I live in Montana, so there is still some snow on the ground and apparently it has more magnetic attraction to golf balls than water or sand, which is to say that it there was a place where snow could be found, I found it. But at least it was good to get back out playing again.
The walking is doing me good, but I still have some work to do to get back in shape. Winter is when it usually happens for me, because I always schedule my annual physical for late spring. I figure that I have lost 100 pounds in the last five years. The problem is that it is the same 20 pounds every year. I get motivated ahead of my check-up so that my doctor won’t have to bring up the O-word, but then I succumb to my love of picnics and ballpark cuisine during the summer and by fall I just think, well, I can get serious about getting in shape after the holidays. It is really not a stretch for me to say that I don’t need a scale to know how much I weigh, I just need a calendar. My doctor isn’t a bad person; he just wants me to give up everything I enjoy in life so I can live longer. I figure if I do it his way, then when I’m 90 I can look forward to an extra year and a half in a nursing home at around ten grand a month.
I have been getting my fitness motivation from the book ‘Play Fat, Lose Close, and Eat Whatever You Want – The Slacker’s Guide to a Successful Life”. No, not really, because that book doesn’t exist as near as I can tell, which is probably a good thing. Surprising though, since a great way to sell books is by telling people what they want to hear. The truth is that maintaining good health and fitness takes determination and discipline, and even though it isn’t always fun, the results are worth it. I have heard storied about old-school golf pros who would spend hour after hour hitting sand shots, practicing until their fingers bled, then they would bandage their hands and keep hitting until the blood would ooze through the bandages. Considering that, the thought of play fat, lose close and eat whatever you want sounds pretty good. But what if you could try just a little bit harder to improve your game, or eliminate bad habits?
How long does it take you to get your swing working properly after being off the course or driving range for a few months? I have definitely noticed a decrease in my flexibility and stamina since last fall, so I’m hoping I can get loosened up soon. Feel free to drop a comment below and join the conversation.
That’s all the time I have for now, I have a book to go write.