Every week on Globalnews.ca Canadian golf stars Graham DeLaet and Adam Hadwin take readers behind the scenes of the PGA Tour, providing insights, perceptions and observations as they battle at the game’s biggest tournaments.
I may have missed the cut last week in Hawaii at the Sony, the opener of the year, but at least I’m back playing. It seems like a long time since I last teed it up—almost three months in fact. Lots has happened in golf in the meantime. Nick Taylor, a fellow Canadian on the PGA Tour, won in Mississippi, and Tiger is back playing after recovering from his injury.
For me, what started as a simple neck injury eventually meant missed tournaments, events I was anxious to play. I’ve been hurt before and recovering is never easy. The frustrating part of being injured is waiting. The recovery from any injury is always slower than you’d like and this one wasn’t any different. For me the key was having a roadmap and sticking with it. That meant taking all of November off and working on soft tissue therapy, which is essentially low intensity workouts that build up muscle strength. It’s tricky because you’re exercising in a way that’s meant to help the injury but not cause any pain. It is a fine line.
A lot of the recovery was spent resting. For me — someone who likes to be active, always doing something — taking days off where you’re basically not able to do much is a challenge. You always want to be doing something, but in the case of this injury, less was more.
At least my Calgary Flames were red-hot during the stretch when I was out of commission, so I like to think that helped with my recovery while I was planted on the couch.
I’m back now—and I’m in the field for the Humana this week, and the Waste Management event that follows. I need to get back to competitive tournament golf. Any PGA Tour pro will tell you there’s a vast difference between practicing and playing tournaments. That means I’m trying to get back to playing while making sure I’m healthy.
Perhaps the biggest frustration from the injury was watching my World Ranking number drop at a time when there’s nothing I could do about it. When I was injured I was in the Top 50 in the world. That’s a hugely significant spot for a PGA Tour golfer as it gets you into practically every big event, including the Masters. Last year I received an invite to the Masters in the mail. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I learned a lot playing my first Masters.
It is a helpless feeling watching your ranking fall while you are laid up on the couch. By the time I was back playing last week, I’d dropped almost 20 spots. Needless to say, my goal in the first couple of months is to not only get my game back in shape, but to crack that Top 50 and earn a spot back to the Masters.
Regardless, I’m excited to be back playing golf. The time off has done wonders for my physical health and my mindset heading into this year. When you’re on tour your life becomes a whirlwind. You can overanalyze your game because you’re so focused on every element of it.
The injury was unfortunate—there’s no doubt about it. But I’m trying to take something positive from the experience. I’ve come back refreshed mentally and physically and with a goal in mind, firmly focused on the task ahead.
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