Ouch - Part Two

Well the good news is the back didn't totally give up the ghost overnight and so I was able to move this morning, albeit still in a lot of pain. The bad news is I tried a little chipping swing with a wedge "just to see" and there is still a shooting pain on the downswing into the impact area. Enforced rest and no practise of any kind it is then.

God I've been bored today. I couldn't do any of the chores on the wifes hit list, didn't fancy shuffling around the shops and the weather was dank, cold and nasty and I didn't fancy venturing out anywhere. I've spent most of the day vegetating on the sofa in front of the sport. At least my football club, Fulham, gave me a welcome tonic with an emphatic 5-0 win. Perhaps the toughest thing has been trying to stay off the PC and resist the lures of shiny new golf gear,  and especially avoiding the Footjoy Myjoy site and their customised shoe service. Sixteen pairs is surely enough for one man.

The golf is finally due to start in a moment and so it'll be great to see if Rory McIlroy can win the Honda Classic in what looks like tough old conditions and thereby securing himself a place as number one in the world according to the world ranking points. If he does he'll become the second youngest player after Tiger Woods and to be honest even if he doesn't do it today, it'll only be a matter of time before he does and I think with his game he'll be in the top few for many, many years to come.

As for me, it's about getting a doctors appointment as soon as I can (hopefully tomorrow night) and getting a diagnosis, a treatment plan and hopefully something to ease the constant pain. Part of me hopes it is just a muscular injury but my friends on the Golf Monthly Forum, including several with medical knowledge are using the dreaded word "sciatica" which will be a far more serious and potentially a long-term problem. On the plus side, there are also some forum members with a great knowledge of the CONGU handicap system who suggest that it may be possible to get the handicap secretary to adjust my 0.1 increase back down because I was forced to retire injured.

CONGU 2008 - 2011handbook on page 84 Dec2(c) e .. that "sympathetic consideration should be given to players who have had to discontinue play for any cause considered to be reasonable by the organising Committee"

Back to work tomorrow and it feels like it's been a nothing weekend and totally wasted. It could be a long week in work and at home with some issues to be resolved and I was looking forward to the golf this weekend being a real fillip. Oh well, there is always someone worse off than me and I'll have to use the enforced rest as a positive thing and come back fitter and more refreshed.

"Nurse, it's time for my tablets". Nurse? Nurse?" - bloody weekend staff!