Shakin' Street — A Parkinson's Blog

Can I Blame Golf?

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philbernstein

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Can I Blame Golf?

I’ve never liked golf.

Playing the game makes me angry. Watching it bores me to tears.

During my sales career, I was well aware of the business opportunities forfeited by those who avoided golf, but avoid it I did.

So when a recent study showed a correlation between golf courses and Parkinson’s, one might think I’d be in the clear, having spent so little time on a course.

One might be wrong.

The study, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, demonstrates a higher risk of Parkinson’s in those who reside within three miles of a golf course. Those within two miles had a 198% higher chance of getting PD; those living between 2 and 3 miles away had a 121% higher probability of getting the disease.

My wife and I have lived in the same Northeast Portland house since 1995 — within three miles of two golf courses. According to the GPS Coordinates Online Distance Calculator, our domicile is 2.36 miles from Rose City Golf Course.

For 25 of the 30 years we’ve lived here, Broadmoor Golf Course operated 1.9 miles away from our home. That course closed in October 2020.

The most likely theory explaining the correlation between PD and golf courses is that pesticides contaminate the groundwater in the area. In Portland, most of the tap water comes from the Bull Run Reservoir, but the Water Bureau supplements that source with groundwater during the summer and at other times when water supplies are low.

So, yes. I blame golf, and you can’t change my mind.

A Podcast Worth a Listen

Parkinson’s forces us to adapt, and an industry of adaptive tools has arisen to serve folks like us.

My symptoms are still pretty mild, but my right hand is a little wonky these days. I’ve learned to operate a mouse with my left hand, wear Kiziks to avoid having to tie my shoes, and often use voice-to-text when I need to type.

Kurt Kohlstedt of the podcast 99% Invisible woke up about a year ago having lost the use of his right arm. He immediately had to confront a world designed for right-handed people with two working arms.

He could no longer use the pockets on the right side of his pants, or fasten the buckles on his backpack. Tying his shoes was a big problem, and as a professional writer he badly needed to figure out a way to type efficiently again.

This week’s episode of the 99% Invisible podcast — “Adapt or Design” — explores all of the above challenges. Most interesting — to me, anyway — was his attempts to find an “off the shelf” one-handed keyboard that worked for him.

In addition to the podcast episode, he has also posted a deep-dive series of “Adapt or Design” articles on the podcast website. Those with Parkinson’s or other disabilities will find all sorts of products and hacks to try.

My thanks to the lovely and talented PDXKnitterati for alerting me to this.

Bonus For Those Who Read to the Bottom

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Metallica on classical guitar.

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The Elvis hit, re-imagined by The Orlons in 1964.

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Billy Strings puts his own stamp on the Lightfoot classic.

10 responses to “Can I Blame Golf?”

  1. Mel Avatar
    Mel

    I grew up near or around golf courses, dry cleaners, superfund sites, farms…. Unsurprisingly my PD Generation study did not have the genetic biomarkers even though my Paternal Grandfather had Parkinson’s as well.

    Great writing, loved the extras.

    -Mel

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    1. shakinstreet.com Avatar
      shakinstreet.com

      Glad you liked it, Mel. Like you, I was also exposed to lots of environmental things that could have caused PD. Golf courses had not occurred to me until I saw the article.

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  2. catjollyfbfca93c2d Avatar
    catjollyfbfca93c2d

    I grew up surrounded by fields, crop dusters, played in the soybean trucks and cornfields, and drank well water. So that’s undoubtedly the environmental aspect, but why do I have PD and no one else in my immediate family, including cousins who lived in the same area? So there’s got to be some sort of genetic predisposition there, as well. I think the same for people who live in cancer clusters. Now, for the last 4 years, I live within spitting distance of a golf course 🙄. I’ve always drank filtered water, but they spray all the time.

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    1. catjollyfbfca93c2d Avatar
      catjollyfbfca93c2d

      Oh! I too have switched my mouse to the left. Typing is still doable, but I’ve switched to a much smaller keyboard, and use a tablet with attached keyboard for notes. I’m struggling to find good, supportive slip on tennis shoes for walking, though. I’ll check out that podcast.

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      1. shakinstreet.com Avatar
        shakinstreet.com

        The discussion of keyboard is pretty interesting, and his ultimate solution was to reprogram the keyboard he already had. Instructions on how to do that or apparently on the website, but I have not checked them out yet.

        He does not mention the brand of the shoes he tried, but it sounds like they are probably the Nike FlyEase shoes. I have a pair which get the job done, but I find Kiziks much easier to put on. My wife recently bought a pair of Skechers, which are less expensive than Kiziks. She likes them a lot, but I have not tried them.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. shakinstreet.com Avatar
      shakinstreet.com

      We are all exposed to so many toxins, I am kind of amazed that anyone makes it to old age while still healthy.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. catjollyfbfca93c2d Avatar
        catjollyfbfca93c2d

        I just bought a pair of Sketchers. In the store, they seemed perfect, but when I took them on a walk, the right shoe was loose and pinched my big toe. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good walk. Wasted $80.

        I got a much smaller keyboard that fit my hands.

        It is amazing more people don’t end up with a chronic disease, and think of those people who are well into their 90s, even 100s.

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      2. shakinstreet.com Avatar
        shakinstreet.com

        For what it’s worth, Costco has had some models of Skechers for around $30 recently. I have three pairs of Kiziks that I like a great deal for walking around. The risk is higher — they will set you back, in most cases, over $100. They offer “free returns,” although you should read their return policy on the website carefully before making a purchase. I’ve been happy with mine and have not had to return any.

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  3. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    What an interesting and disturbing article!! Yes, we have all been exposed to some nasty toxins along the way.
    I’m a rightie, have used a left-hand mouse for decades because I find it less painful for my always-busy right hand. Currently have one I really like. Let me know if any interest into my world of leftie mice.

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    1. shakinstreet.com Avatar
      shakinstreet.com

      I’ve always used a cheap conventional mouse, and just changed the setting in Windows to have it work “left-handed.” It seems to work for me, but I’d be interested to see what you’re using.

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Hello,

I’m Phil Bernstein

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease on May 25, 2023. At the time, I was only vaguely aware of Parkinson’s — primarily from articles in People about Michael J. Fox. And I didn’t know anyone with the disease.

Now, I know a lot more about the illness, and I’ve joined the Parkinson’s community in my hometown of Portland, Oregon.

I’ve found that writing helps me think through challenges, and this illness definitely qualifies as a challenge. I’ve started Shakin’ Street to help me think through the various obstacles, tools, and resources that a newly-diagnosed Parkinson’s patient encounters along the way.

I hope some of these posts help you address and tackle your own challenges.

Let’s connect

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