Greg 504

I've been rolling some putts inside this past week. I also took my mom and daughter to Topgolf Wednesday. I hit about 30 balls there to the red and yellow targets. I was quite careful being 5 weeks out from surgery only taking 1/4 chip shots. Felt great to get out and do something more than sit on my ass or take walks. I'm still pleasantly surprised how far along in recovery I am. I am walking at least 3 miles a day and some days just under 5 miles collectively. Each day I can tell I continue to get stronger and stronger. It's a constant battle to stay reigned in and not over do it. I need to heal quickly as my 13 year old daughter was smashing the ball at Topgolf! She'll be passing me in no time.

I agree with the timing being pretty good if it had to happen. It just so happens my mom recently bought a condo in Fort Myers. They have an 18 hole executive course right there at the complex, so I may be heading south around Thanksgiving and or Christmas. Hell, maybe several times through the winter. I mean, I am retired now, so why not. Thinking I may break the putter out towards the end of the week and roll a few here inside the house. Heart surgeons are good friends to have! Hopefully you will never require his professional expertise.

Hey all, I've been home for about 8 days now since my procedures on the 24th. Overall, I am doing quite well. I've been walking at least 1.75 miles each day and the longest has been 2.41 miles collectively through out the day. My incisions are healing well. I've had some Afib issues post-op but I also dealt with that pre-op. It will get better the further along I am in recovery. My surgeon, also a golfer, said there should be no reason I can't play a full round of golf in 8 weeks. I was surprised and he reiterated for me to just listen to my body and start out slow. I know not to expect to pick up where I left off. I would be happy to be out chipping and putting by then. Maybe try 9 on an executive course and play from the reds. Thank you guys for the words of encouragement and checking in on me. I really appreciate it.

91 for my final round before my surgery. Wasn't hitting driver all that great but still enjoyed the round with family. A beautiful fall-like day here in central Ohio.

Congrats on the ace @Sandtrapp220!

Shot 41 last night for a quick 9 and 85 today at Oakhaven in windy conditions. I am happy with that score as the front played much more difficult than the back today.

This rough is pretty gnarly. I thought they trimmed it some?!! I would imagine they will tighten the course up considerably tomorrow. The greens seem receptive today and pin locations are probably the easiest they'll see.

@klineka, yessir, still working with Mitch! He has been a phenomenal instructor and he does a great job conveying the priority piece (s) for me to work on. I appreciate your input and suggestion that I check him out. I'll be eager to get back to him once I heal a bit after my surgery. Maybe I can ease back into the game this winter with some putting and short game lessons.

I would think so too. I know for me, it would be hard to think, "I'm shooting a pretty good round," and card 4 or 5 over after playing such a tough course. Will certainly be interesting to see how they react throughout the tournament.

I've been playing golf for just over a year now. I have averaged 1 lesson per month in that time and have used 3 different professional instructors. Not that any were "terrible," I felt as my game progressed, I needed to seek a coach that could continue to bring me along. I feel I have made considerable progress in just over a year of golfing. I have kept an unofficial HI primarily to measure my progress. I started at 33.9 this spring and am currently 17.1. My current swing coach has likely taken 8-9 strokes off my cap in just 5 months. Like others have said, we click well and I really understand the priority piece he is trying to teach me from each lesson. My first coach was older and his teaching was a little antiquated. Again, not terrible and he got me on the right path early, I just recognized he would only take me so far. I view this sport as a never ending process of learning. There will always be something to work on, something to improve upon. If there was not, why wouldn't I be playing on the tour? Hell, the best in the world have coaches. With that, I guess it all depends what your personal goals are as well. I'll never tell someone they need lessons if they are happy getting out and knocking the ball around. Some are fine with that and use the game more to socialize and don't care if they ever break 100. I have set goals that I want to achieve and get a lot of fulfillment when I reach those goals with the help of professional instruction. Trust me, I'm not smart enough to figure this game out all on my own. Golf is hard!

Need to knock the honey do list out early this morning so I can watch the first round. I couldn't believe the stat I read yesterday. In the 5 U.S. Opens held at Winged Foot, only 2 players have ever finished under par! Fuzzy and Greg Norman clear back in '84. Makes me wonder if the field cringes when the schedule is announced and they find out the open is at Winged Foot? I would think it has to start in on you mentally more than the game already does. Anyway, looking forward to some great humbling golf. I'm hoping Xander plays well and will also be pulling for Rory and DJ.

Shot 88 yesterday at Mill Creek even with a double and a triple on two par 5's that I usually par. Have 3 more rounds of golf scheduled before my surgery and subsequent layoff for a bit.

I went with high 80's as what I consider good for me 88-91 wasn't an option. If I shoot 83-86 on the same course, I feel I have had a great day. Amazing that eliminating a couple doubles or not having a triple on the card can make you feel so much better about your round.

Wow! Back to work the next day from bed. Great drive and dedication to his profession. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement and well wishes. @BobC, thanks for your input. Your progress seems to go hand and hand with what I have researched. Glad to hear you are back to playing and a great idea going out with your wife early to putt. I've mentally prepared and physically prepared the best I can. I am very restricted by my cardiology team as it relates to my disease and my increased risk of sudden cardia arrest (SCA). It seems I've played golf nearly every single day for the past two weeks and will continue to for the next couple leading up to my surgery! @Zippo, thanks man and I will follow the teams instructions to a "tee." I hope you are continuing to do well too.

TST friends, two weeks from today, I'll be up at Cleveland Clinic having a pretty major surgery for my Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy. It will be open heart surgery (OHS) and I'm having a myectomy, MAZE procedure and probable mitral valve repair. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease. However, the myectomy will remove a portion of heart muscle that is causing an obstruction to my outflow tract that supplies oxygenated blood to my body. The MAZE procedure will be an attempt to end/control my Afib issues as an atrial ablation only lasted 8-9 months. The possible mitral valve repair will be conducted if my mitral valve doesn't "flatten and close" properly once the obstruction is removed. To say I'm scared and nervous is an understatement. However, I am looking forward to a better quality of life and longevity of life for myself and my family. I am not looking forward to the recovery and rehab and subsequent "lay off" from golf. All this to ask what to expect from other OHS patients or members who have family members that golf that have had OHS. What is reasonable to expect to start chipping/putting? Getting back to a 3/4 swing or playing a round? I have read any where between 6-12 weeks. I will certainly follow my teams advice and not be the typical hard-headed male and do my own thing. I'm just hoping for an idea of what to expect and if other OHS patients experienced any unexpected hiccups in their game trying to get back into it, having to change shaft stiffness, etc. Thanks in advance.