Gettin' the needle

The base of my back will be in receipt of a surgeon's needle on Thursday, my immediate golfing future will then be decided. Three slipped discs have put paid to hopes of regular golf, the backswing is bearable but the through swing tortuous, that's from both the player's and spectators' perspectives I grant you. The surgical procedure I face on Thursday is aimed at freeing up a trapped nerve while reducing inflammation, at least that's my understanding, you just put yourself in the hands of the professionals don't you, entrusting their expertise. I love my golf so this damp squib of a season has been difficult to stomach particularly since it's my first year back at Stonehaven Golf Club after three decades away.

My hope is for a speedy return to the Stonehaven fairways, not that my ball often finds them, back to a piece of land I consider home. Perhaps it's because I'm one of life's sojourners that I've never felt a sense of belonging to a certain town or city, I've hopped around so frequently that I've never considered an individual place as home, except Stonehaven's golf course. The expanse of turf between first tee and eighteenth green has the capacity to becalm me, the rigours of life that crowd my head banished for a time. There's something reaffirming about the familiarity of the terrain, an absolute constant in my life while so much around me has changed or is in mid turmoil. The humps on the 1st , the ravine that separates tee and green on the 15th, the spectacular Skatie Shore beneath the 7th tee, all of these and more were there when I played Stoney in the 80s, they're still here now and will remain long after I've gone. In a life devoid of structure, these constants have significance.

Familiarity may breed contempt, but not where my relationship with Stonehaven's golf course is concerned, instead it breeds love and respect. I may love it but have never mastered it, being fully cogniscent of its humps and hollows doesn't insulate my golf ball from these perils. It's an unforgiving stretch of turf, our long standing friendship hasn't softened its approach to my game, the course remains unyielding and punishing at times. My loyalty goes unrewarded in terms of numbers recorded on the scorecard but is rewarded one hundredfold with satisfaction, peace and pride. There really is no other place on earth I'd rather be, I've found eutopia.