I was not going to write about my injury but since I normally do a year-end review of my golf stats before leagues begin in 2026 I thought I’d share why you won’t see a 2025 review.

Injury Day, August 19, 2025:

I was playing the regular ladies league and I was playing great. First seven holes I had three pars, one birdie, and three bogies. So no double bogies which was a big goal for me in 2025. On the 8th hole I had a great tee shot, then hit a great shot from the fairway. Now here is where it all went wrong.

It was cart path only that day because we had so much rain over the weekend. I was walking back from the fairway to the cart path; and between the fairway and cart path was a dirt area (it was wet from the rains), in front of a bunker. My friend was in the bunker and she said go ahead, I walked past her (quickly to get out of her way), was not looking down and did not see a tree root and tripped.

I tried hard not to fall. It felt like slow motion and when I realized I was going down all I was thinking was don’t put out your hands to break the fall (because I knew I didn’t want to break my wrists).

Well, I did my best to roll as I fell but unfortunately hit the edge of the cement cart path (photo below sent to me by my friends) with my right collarbone and broke it. My golf partners were great and took me to urgent care.

I thought I was going to pass out as they drove the golf cart from the 8th hole to the parking lot. I have never broken a bone so I didn’t realize what was wrong until at urgent care when I couldn’t move my arm.

My friends were playing a few weeks later and the grounds crew was actually removing the root so no one else would get hurt. They took a photo (below) and sent it to me.

I am fortunate that I did not need surgery. Basically where the break is, one end of the clavicle now sits on top of the other part (so there’s a bump where the bones meet or fuse). Only 10% of people get surgery for this type of collarbone fracture (usually for cosmetic reasons).

I won’t show any of the ugly photos of my bruises but it was not pretty. I had bruises on the back shoulder, the front shoulder/chest and upper arm. I also had a bad bruise on my right knee and above my right eye. I’m feeling blessed because I could have a much worse outcome; like I could have hit my head on the cement instead of the dirt on the other side.

Anyway, I don’t care if I have a bump on my shoulder as long as I get full mobility and no pain. At six weeks the surgeon was please with the bone growth but said it will take six months to heal to where I don’t need to worry about hurting myself playing golf; but he did say that complete bone growth and fusion with the other bone may take a year at my age – thanks, doc. LOL

So, at six weeks the surgeon said there was enough “calcification” (bone growth) so Physical Therapist (PT) could start “active movement” working on increasing range of motion and strength.

Side Bar on Physical Therapy: Moving to “active movement” therapy was great news because PT had only been doing what is called “passive movements” (the PT moves the joint); and in “active movement” the patient uses their muscle to move the joint. The passive movement is fascinating because the therapist moves your arm until they feel resistance and then stop because the bone is still fusing and in a very delicate condition. During the “passive movement” stage I had very specific but light stretching (like using a towel to push my arm along a table top or using a pulley system where the good arm pulls down to lift the bad arm up). But outside of PT, I had my arm in a sling.

I did purchase a pulley for home because at first you can barely raise the arm and I wanted to be able to do that exercise at home. Eight weeks after accident, I could pull the arm to full extension straight out in front of my body; but not full extension in any other direction (like from the side or diagonal out or across the body). And, without the pulley I cannot raise my arm above my head.

The other issue I did not know (again because I have never had a broken bone) was how much muscle strength disappears after being in a sling for weeks. So the process – first get mobility back and then get strength back. Bottom line, each week a bit of progress was all I could expect. And regular movements, like touching your head or being able to put a dish on a shelf in the kitchen, was how I celebrated recovery.

I had googled “how many weeks to get back to golf after a shoulder fracture” and answers were all over the place. In one golf forum a guy said he played at eight weeks but it hurt. Maybe he was really young (and had a minor fracture) but at my age and with what I have experienced, I can’t imagine golf that soon. The majority of the answers stated getting back to any sport activities would be around four to six months.

Anyway, physically therapy went well but was a slow process. For example, I could not drive a car until eight weeks after my accident. As much as I miss golf not driving (not having freedom) was awful; but my friends were great taking me to PT and food shopping.

I did not rush the process. I wanted to come back with a strong shoulder. The PT said that I would get back to golf in stages; first putting, then chipping, and lastly, full swing last. I stopped asking when I could putt; and I was just happy with my range of motion and strength getting better each week. Turns out I didn’t start putting until after Christmas, then chipping mid-January, and full-swing by end of January.

We play golf all year long in South Carolina but I was fine letting PT tell me when I could start more vigorous activities. Getting back to some light practice in January and February felt right; and knowing by end of March, I’d be able to play at the start of ladies leagues for 2026, was just fine with me.

But, oh how I do miss golf!

Update: March 2026:

I have been practicing in February (when weather permitted but it’s been a horrible winter). I am very aware of not over doing it; getting a small bucket, taking breaks between swings, etc. So far, I feel good and I am excited about getting back to full golf activities.

I will play my first round of golf on Thursday, March 19 which is the day my ladies league starts for 2026. I have no expectations other than to have a good time and be thankful to be back on the course. And, of course, I will be watching out for tree roots.