It was amazing how long it took my thumb to alert my brain that we had a friendly fire situation going on.

I recently cut the bejesus out of my left thumb with a serrated knife, because I’m not smart enough to talk and slice bread at the same time.  After the bleeding stopped, I was initially worried how this might stunt, or even set back, my recent golf swing progress and practice.

Surprisingly, the exploratory surgery episode has had almost no effect on my golf swing.  A simple bandage over the cut still fits nicely within my golf glove, so I’ve been able to continue my range sessions and lessons with some semblance of normalcy.

I was even able to test drive my new swing during a quick (but chilly) 18 holes on Friday.  Sure, I may have reopened the cut, but the pain was certainly manageable.

Nonetheless, the entire debacle got me thinking and wondering: what was my worst golf injury?

I’ve been battered, bruised, and bloody, but I don’t ever remember limping off the course.

I’ve experienced all the normal dumb-kid on-course injuries: I’ve rolled my ankle a few times searching too deep into the rough, banged my ankle with my putter, had my back spasm out on me, and even been thrown (or fallen) from a golf cart at full speed.

However, the most painful injuries have probably been those days that I held onto the club too tight, literally.  On several occasions I’ve played through blisters until my hands bled on near freezing days, and continued on through the 18th hole, with hands raw, chapped, and throbbing.

Yeah, in the grand scheme of things that’s a fairly sissy-fied “worst” injury, but I can’t swing the club with my feet, either.

So, Dear Readers, for the November Question of the Month, I’m interested in your tales of pain and suffering on or near the golf course.  Please feel free to elaborate on your responses to the Poll in the comments sections below.