Road to Recovery
Quite some time ago, I wrote a few posts about my friend @diamonddave. He was going through some major medical issues about a year or so ago and to be honest with you, it is nothing short of a miracle that he is still with us today. He still has a long road of recovery ahead of him, but for all intents and purposes, he is doing quite well. Especially when you compare him to his previous condition.
Through the process of recovery, they often encourage you to make goals for yourself. Things you want to do again like you used to do or things that you want to try that you never did before. It gives you a purpose and a reason to focus on your recovery. As you can imagine, it can be hard and having something to look forward to is a good motivator to keep you going.
One of the things that my friend had on his list to do when he was healthy enough was play a round of disc golf with me again. He has only been out a few times, but disc golf is a relatively low impact sport that gets you moving and while he might not be playing in tournaments, it's something he can enjoy as a leisure activity.
This past weekend while we were camping, I found a nice little nine hole course close to our campground and I thought if he was feeling up to it, maybe we could give it a shot. As you can see from the photo above, although it was only nine holes, some of them were still quite long. 465 feet is nothing to scoff at.
While the course was pretty wide open, it also had some tight bends around clumps of trees that made it a bit more difficult to navigate than I would have guessed. It also was laid out in a way that it was difficult to find where the next tee pad was. We actually found ourselves wandering around a couple of times trying to figure out where to go next.
Despite that, the open design made it fairly reasonable for my friend to ease back into the sport. It's probably been about two years since he played a round and his strength isn't what it used to be.
I tried to give him some pointers, and by the end of the round, he was throwing some really good throws. I think the biggest piece of advice I gave him was to stand sideways instead of forward when he was throwing. Then you need to pull the disc across your body and pretend you are breaking a pane of glass with your elbow.
I plan on sharing some of these techniques with @mrsbozz the next time we go together to see it if can improve her throwing.
The course is right next to a wetlands area and as I was heading to the first basket from the tee pad, I almost stepped on this little guy. It actually startled me for a second and then I realized what it was.
Unlike some of the more polished courses, this nine hole layout simply used a couple of cement markers to let you know where to tee off from instead of a full concrete pad. I think that is part of the reason we had trouble finding some of the holes.
The course was actually really well kept up and I was impressed by how neatly they had cut the grass. I have a feeling if they weren't so diligent about it, we likely would have been stumbling across snakes versus turtles!
I ended up finishing the course with a score of seven over. Which honestly should have been less, but the confusion about where we were going at the beginning caused me to throw the disc in the wrong direction a couple of times. My buddy scored significantly more than me, but the important part was that he was out and able to do it and having a good time. I have a feeling this won't be the last round we play this summer. Hopefully after a bit more physical therapy he will be able to play a full 18 hole round.
As you can see, we did a fair amount of walking, so I am going to include this as a #wednesdaywalk post sponsored by @tattoodjay.
Towards the end of our round, we came across another turtle. Actually @diamonddave's disc almost landed right on it. I thought for a second it was the same turtle as before, but I don't think there is any way it could have gotten from the previous spot to this one so quickly. I guess it could have been....
We were the only two people on the course this breezy Friday morning. I was actually a little thankful for the breeze. I have a feeling being so close to the water the mosquitoes would have been much worse if it hadn't been so cool and windy.
The Fort Gratiot Pond course is really nice to play and I would definitely recommend it especially if you are new to the sport. Just be sure to take a photo of the map at the beginning so you can hopefully avoid getting lost like we did. The tee pad signs aren't the clearest and make it a bit difficult to know which basket to aim for.
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
Being alive and healthy is no joke. I am thankful your friend is still kicking and is recovering.
Having a purpose does help, and I am glad he has someone who he can meet out to have fun with just as you mentioned here;
Well done, you both! And wishing him more strength.
I'm glad he is doing well too! I don't have too many friends, so I need to keep all the ones I do have alive! Thanks for stopping by!
Makes the two of us on the friendship list, lol.
Well done and enjoy the rest of your day 🙂.
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I'm glad he is feeling better! That is quite a long walk in reality when you look at the overall design. It's always nice to spend some time outdoors, and plus you got to see some wildlife along the way. Being around the water it must be pretty humid out there, I can see why the breeze would feel nice.
Great post and some great pictures!
We actually had some really nice weather while we were there. The humidity hit this week once we got home. It's going to be brutal come the weekend! That's one of the things I like about disc golf, it's fairly low impact and lots of walking.
You have some nature over there, I have never seen a turtle in the wild in the state of Washington.
Really? We often get them crossing the road in the summer here. Most people give them the space they need. We don't have any whales here though!
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Sometimes it's really hard for people to recover for some serious medical issues, it's good to hear that your friend was able to get out of it and the condition is good than before!
Actually when we say about the fact for recovery it's basically not a sort of miracle but it's within you or your will power. The great this fact be within you the more you get motivation to live and recover well, fighting from that critical condition.!
He still has an uncertain medical future ahead of him, but he is still here, and there was a point we weren't sure that would be the case. He had lots of prayers to help him through.
That’s great that he’s doing better and that you both were able to play a round together. Just getting out there was awesome I’m sure.
Yeah, I've been out quite a bit already this summer and it has been great.
It's good he is able to get out. Your a good friend to help keep him motivated as well. I'm not a disk golfer but it always looks fun when I see people playing
It's a really good time. You would think I should be better than I am after playing for a couple of decades, but I still enjoy getting out on the course even if I play horrible. It's kind of like fishing. Even a bad day is better than a regular day.
Wishing you strength and patience on your road to recovery. It’s inspiring to see your courage in sharing this journey. Take one step at a time – healing is never easy, but every little progress counts. Stay strong💪
Thanks, he is really being a trooper.
No problem ✨ Always be happy 😊
It's great he could play. Someone obviously looks after the place. Just need to watch out for the wildlife!
Yeah, there were quite a few birds too, but they didn't really bug us too much.
Keep moving or the vultures will take advantage!
!BBH
That sideways stance tip is gold!