A BLOG seemed the best and most efficient means of answering the FAQs on a regular basis. It might be said that I wear multiple hats or have many interests. Discovery in medicine will always be the main topic. However there are other categories; Golf Adventures, Inventions, and some Christian writings. Hopefully the BLOG will be a format to tell what I am up to in each of these main endeavors. It seems almost daily there are interesting events; at least to me. Perhaps the events may be of interest to others.
I want to make it clear, I am not retired. Retirement it is bad for one’s health. I concluded my clinical practice in 1995, but work regularly in these various endeavors. I do not see anywhere in the Bible where retirement is to be desired or realized. I have told my daughters that I will not be speaking at my retirement party.
From time to time I will answer publicly herein those questions that recently surfaced and may be of general interest. I will not be recording what I had on my hot dog at a ball game, let alone focus on mundane events.
I trust I will accomplish the intended goal of answering “What am I up to?”
“Not always this laid back”
Thank you for asking. I am asked this question so often. This phase may just be a salutation, but I have learned many have a curiosity about my various endeavors. A blog seemed like the best way to answer this question on a regular basis. In addition, this blog provides a means for me to keep track in an organized fashion of what I am up to.
The purpose is to record and relate what I am up to these days. The information will be in one place for recording memoirs and historical events. It will be a place to document the present and consider the future.
I expect to regularly make entries concerning various categories: physician/surgeon; medical research and development; the golf adventures and Life. You may see a recent post or follow the topic that might interest you.
Let me know what you think as this blog will becomes my “Lectronic Legacy” in what ever time remains.
“30 years at the bedside” circa 1980
In the course of my practice I was one of the pioneers in arthroscopic surgery. This resulted in hundreds of surgeon visitors, such that Ingham Medical Center in Lansing created the first operating room dedicated to arthroscopic surgery including a glass wall for visitors to comfortably observe surgery.
Arthroscopic Suite Ingham Medical Center
First and foremost I am a physician/surgeon. No matter a physician’s special interest, the medical license says physician/surgeon. In the course of my medical practice, medicine became very specialized, me included. I went from medical doctor, to board certified orthopedic surgeon to arthroscopic surgeon. My business card indicated such. I did not go so far as to do only left knees and right elbows. When I saw this unfolding, I changed my business card my roots, a “new” specialty called Physician/Surgeon.
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My friend and partner on the PGA Tour; Howard Twitty
I started golf at age 11 a Burroughs Farms, a family recreational area for employees of Burroughs Adding Machine Company. This facility is now called Oak Pointe, west of Brighton, MI. I played on Royal Oak High School team which won the Michigan State High School Championship in 1951 (not a misprint on year). My last year at Michigan State and sfter I was admitted to medical school, I played #3 man on Michigan State College (at that time) golf team. My best competitive score was two under 70 against Notre Dame. I have enjoyed 3 holes in one, the longest being 265 yards in 1955. I played a few local country club invitationals over the years, winning once at the Lansing Country club with Otto Schubel.
Long hiatus in golf due to medical school and practice, but in 2002, I slipped on the ice after a Michigan State basketball game and dislocated my shoulder. This resulted in rotator cuff repair and exploring one handed putting. This led to interest in putting and putter design. This led to meeting Howard Twitty, former PGA tour player and the rest is history and daily documentation of new events now reflected in this blog’s “What are you up to in Golf”
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Open Bible
These are musings about Life and life. Notice the capital letter on the first Life. The reason is that it is a synonym or code name for the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He called himself the Way, The Truth and the Life. Over the years I have lived an imperfect life (not capitalized) which is one of the qualifications for becoming and remaining a Christian. There is a fun scripture that rhetorically says, “Does a well man need a doctor?” Only those with faults need apply.
I have written a number of manuscripts about Life and life. One such many people Christian or not have appreciated is my insight to what goes on in the operating room which resulted in a prayer for those undergoing surgery. (use the form to the right to sign up and get this free)
I have written a short manuscript on “A Physician Looks at Scriptural Healing”. Being a medical doctor and a Christian it was of interest to me, what the Bible recorded about healing. So it was important to me to make this study in light of my clinical experiences. I want the proceeds from this to go directly to Fresh Wind Christian Community in Benzie County, MI.
This section will have many other reflections on Life and life as we go along.
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Inventions/Patents
Official Patent Document
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Padraig Harrington and Derick Lamely put our standard putter grip in play at PGA tour event at Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas. Both really liked the feel and results. Padraig was 5 under through first 10 holes, double bogeyed 11 and ended up 2 under for the day. He finished the day with 28 putts adn 1.462 putts average in greens hit in regulation (3rd best for the day)
Derrick was 1 under for the day. He had 30 putts and 1.8 putts average for greens hit in regulation. Both played in the afternoon with more wind than the morning group experienced. The greens were also slower than normal. We are off to a good start.
Howard Twitty and I have been working at the Byron Nelson Tour event the last couple of days. Our purpose is to make ourselves available for putting instruction and introduction of of new line of putter grips. We have had good success with tour players interest in our grips. Many have put them on their clubs the last two days in the practice rounds. The most satisfying experience was with Padraig Harrington. I had worked with him on putting several years ago. Of course he knows Howard from the tour days. Padraig came up to me saying he wants the putter grip and would be back at 2pm. At 2pm he had his people approach Howard with his putter and wants the grip applied. With his new grip he spend more than an hour with us on the SAM putting unit. He owns one and is very familiar with its benefits. Howard worked with him on technique and alignment. We also learned much from Padraig on his insights to putting. In all, a great time yesterday.
I was pleased to accept a speaking engagement for September 27th as the Presidential guest speaker for Dr. Tom Sampson. This is the annual meeting of the International Society of Hip Arthroscopy in Boston, MA. He said I have been identified as probably the first surgeon to perform hip arthroscopy which was in the 1980′s. He suggested I speak on discovery and invention in orthopedic surgery. I was so pleased, I wrote out my speech last night. I look forward to the engagement. This is not the title, but it could be “An old dog, teaching young dogs new tricks”.
I have had credentials for the PGA tour for 10 years. They were under the title; “Instructor”. This year the category was changed to “Player Support”. This credential did not allow me to promote a product. The qualification for a PGA Tour “Commercial” credential is to have a player signed under contract with your equipment and/or the Darryl survey shows players are using your product. Since my mantra has been, “I do not charge and I do not pay”, we had to wait for the Darryl survey to identify Tour player’s use of our products. We now have met the criteria and were granted the credential.
Howard Twitty and I will launch the line of grips at the Byron Nelson and Colonial Tournaments in the next few weeks. We do not expect to go out every week, but time to time to make our products available to more PGA Tour Players.
One professional using all our textured grips turned 50 in March and shot 67 in the Champion Tour’s Monday qualifier. He then was 11th in the tournament and won $33,000+. He loves the grips after his first competitive rounds in several years.
Our full line of grips will be seen on www.PrescriptionGolf.com. The standard putter and the two part long putter grip will be available by the end of the week on this site.
Competitive golf in the United States, including the PGA Tour, is governed by the United States Golf Association (USGA) rules. Therefore all the equipment you see on TV that is used on the PGA Tour has be submitted to and been judged “conforming” to the rules of golf equipment.
Prescription Golf (www.PrescriptionGolf.com)submits all its equipment for USGA rulings. This week we received a favorable ruling on the regular size putter grip and the two piece long putter grip. We will introduce these to PGA Tour players next week at the Byron Nelson tournament in Dallas and the following week at the Colonial in Fort Worth TX. In two weeks we will have them in the hands of Champion Tour players who have expressed interest.
I have learned, “Some things come to us and other things come through us.” In the Bible, David had a desire to build the Temple. For various reasons, he did not, but his son Solomon built the Temple.
For those of you into football, a great example of this is the football family, Manning. Archie was a great player at U of Mississippi. He was drafted by New Orleans and was battered and bruised on this awful last place team. He never achieved the anticipated success. You now know the rest of the story. Both of his son’s have been super star quarter backs in NFL and won super bowl rings. It did not come to Archie, but came through him.
George Romney, a former governor of Michigan ran for the Republican nomination for president. He did not get it. His son, Mitt appears to have achieved this goal.
The same is true of me and you. Some things have come to us and some things will come through us. Think of some things you wished had happened to you. Think of some things your parents did not experience, but you did.
There is considerable discussion about “end times” in both lay press and from religious publications. The search for America in the Bible is illusive. In spite of a number of publications and television evangelists attempting to identify America, I remain unconvinced that America is identified. There is no direct evidence pointing to the United States presence in “end time” prophecy. If the USA is not mentioned, then there could be at least two reasons. One is that during the end times, America not longer exists, or at least as a world power. The other is that there is a revival in America and its people are living God fearing, righteous lives. The way it looks today, the former reason is more likely.
