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Over recent weeks golf has continued to be played across most parts of Australia, with only the Northern Territory and Victoria having courses closed. I can understand the initial shutdown to restrict play, erring on the side of caution, but it seems clear now that playing golf is safer than going to the supermarket. Golf is returning to the Northern Territory now, but Victorian courses are still closed for the time being. We have another week of stage three social distancing here in Victoria, after that I am hoping golf courses will open.
Golf is experiencing a resurgence in those states where play is permitted. It’s the one sport that we can do safely under current restrictions, with a number of measures introduced to safeguard players.
I started playing golf about four years ago. I used to play squash, but after injuring my knee I had to give it up. Then I was out of action for a few years with a foot problem, which turned into feet problems. Both my feet were affected by a painful condition called Morton’s neuroma. There were days and weeks when I couldn’t walk at all without extreme pain. It took a long time to get a diagnosis. Once I did, I tried a number of treatments, none of which worked. I then had two procedures under anaesthetic to numb the nerves in my feet and stop the pain, but this didn’t work either. The next step was surgery, which I was reluctant to do as it has a very poor success rate. I was depressed and facing the rest of my life in chronic pain.
One day I remembered back in the 1980’s reading about castor oil packs. Castor oil is naturally anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial. Edgar Cayce recommended external use of castor oil packs for a range of medical conditions, so with nothing to lose, I thought I would give it a try.
I soaked a pair of socks in castor oil, put them on my feet and covered them with plastic bags tied around my ankles, then went to bed and slept overnight with the castor oil soaking into my feet. I did this every night for two weeks. The next morning I woke and found the pain had virtually disappeared. I would say it went from a 10/10 down to 2/10. I did a few more overnight treatments until the pain had completely gone.
Spending so much time at home lately has brought back memories of that painful period when I was housebound.
When I started playing golf I wasn’t sure if I would be able to walk around nine holes, but I made it around 18. Pretty soon I was addicted and playing 18 holes three times a week. If my feet get a bit sore now and then, I use castor oil packs overnight and the pain subsides. I’m hoping to be back on course next week.