First off, let me tell you that this has nothing to do with golf course maintenance. Instead, I want to share with you my source of pain relief after my wisdom teeth were removed. The extraction was performed last Tuesday and went very well. I had very little pain or swelling until Friday, January 1st. This is when a condition called 'dry socket' first reared its ugly head.

This malady is referred to as a phenomenon that involves inflammation of the bone where the tooth was extracted. It is not an infection and simply goes away over time. Waiting for it to go away is excruciating and probably the worst pain I have felt. The pain relievers the doctor provided were not helping by Sunday so I went to the Internet to find a cure.

Many of you probably know this, but for me, it was the very first time I'd seen this remedy. Clove oil is very good for toothaches and for treating dry socket. A couple drops and the most incredible pain I've ever known subsided within two minutes.

This is way off topic for this blog, but I wasted three days of a brand new year dealing with this condition when a natural remedy was sitting at Walgreen's. Hopefully, somebody with tooth pain will find this useful and can get on with their lives as well.

OK, now back to growing grass.