I had not touched a golf club for more than three weeks. My last round of golf was such a disaster that I decided that I needed a long rest from the frustrations of golf in order to recover. My life nearly ended on the fifth hole where an easy chip-and-run punch to the green for a possible birdie, transformed itself in a wink of the eye into a needless shank into the water. What followed (sand-trap, sand-trap, over-the-green, over-the-green, chip-and-putt) was a quadruple bogie nine. To make things even worse, a double-bogie six on the next easy par four sealed my fate, and I decided to quit golf, sell my clubs and give the money to some charity.

So it was with some trepidation that I went to the club yesterday afternoon and started my rehabilitation on the driving range. I feared for the worse, and after a short warm up I grabbed my wedge and went for it. Okay recovery, take care of me please. Surprisingly the club made pretty good contact with the ball and I was hitting close to the hundred meter marker. Then I slowly and surely went up the range of irons onto the woods and then at last my good old driver. Not bad, not bad at all.

After three buckets of balls, only two half-shanks and most other shots between the good to excellent range, I felt pretty good. There is still hope. It is all mental anyway, whether I practice or not. Practicing is always good but without a healthy demeanor and solid frame of mind, you can only attain a so-so level of golf.