There have been days when I’ve questioned my sanity when it comes to my passion for the game of golf.
May 21 was one of them.
In the company of fellow team members Larry Steedman, Adam Bourgeois and Wayne Pearce, I slogged my way around the Midland Golf and Country Club, as part of a contingent of 72 golfers who participated in the third-annual Physician Recruitment Golf Tournament.
More than $20,000 was raised at the 2008 event, helping lift the three-year total for the event to more than $52,000.
Our score of 65 in the scramble event fell just short of the winner’s circle, as we lost by one stroke in the men’s section.
At dinner later in the evening, I was surprised to learn from Physician Recruitment Officer David Gravelle that 8,000 people in the Midland-Penetanguishene region are without a family doctor, despite the fact five new doctors have located to the region in the past 18 months.
I’ve been lucky in that I’ve never been without a doctor since the day I was born.
I’ve also seen, first-hand, how many doctors go the extra mile for their patients.
In 1996 when I underwent 14-hours of surgery in Toronto, my local specialist rose out of bed before 5 a.m. to be at the hospital to observe my complicated procedure. No easy feat for a many in his early 70s at the time. I still remember that gesture and appreciated his going the extra mile.
My first family doctor was still making house calls well past his 84th birthday.
The skill of those physicians has helped prolong my life well beyond original expectations.
On the golf course May 21, it was a recreation of the Magical Mystery Tour, as our foursome tackled the challenges of the day.
The PGA Tour should have dragged out the video camera on one hole, when a splendidly struck eight-iron shot found its way close to the hole. Playing a long par three later in the day, Wayne hit the shot of the day and made the birdie to score a natural birdie.
And the antics of Larry and Adam left me with no shortage of one-liners. Adam was our captain and rock, launching his drives so far into the distance that I wondered if another new eyeglass prescription was needed.
A little over halfway round the course, Larry decided he liked Adam’s driver enough that he wanted to give it a test drive.
A regular player in Orillia, Larry is no stranger to challenges on the golf course, and he hit his drive reasonably well.
But when it came to Adam hitting his later tee shots, the magic was gone.
Left and right the golf balls soared, some sailing far into the woods.
Had Larry placed a curse on Adam’s driver?
I was convinced of it and the wayward shots just kept on coming.
By the 18th hole, all we were thinking about was getting into dry clothes and wolfing back a hot meal and beverage.
Thankfully, I didn’t find myself sniffling and coughing the morning after five hours in the rain and cold.
But still I felt warmed by the fact I’d had a chance to throw a little bit of support behind such a great cause.
In a day and age when many things are taken for granted, including doctors and medicine, it’s a joy to get a glimpse at their lives and get a sense of the dedication to their work.
