Before the start of 2019, the only time I had ever heard about CBD — short for cannabidiol — was in passing, uninformed references. The conversations usually went something like how it’s somehow similar to marijuana (it’s not) and questions about if it’s legal to purchase (it is).
The first time I read a national story about CBD in golf was when PGA TOUR Champions star Scott McCarron announced a sponsorship deal from a CBD company at the beginning of January. A handful of golf media outlets covered it.
Then I heard about CBD again when Northeast Ohio pro Ryan Armour announced on Twitter that he had accepted a CBD sponsorship in advance of The Players Championship in March.
A few weeks after that, two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson announced his own CBD oil sponsorship. That’s when every major golf news outlet really started talking about it: Golf.com, Golf Digest, Golf Channel, Golfweek, et al. But more importantly, mainstream media outlets like CNN, Forbes, Washington Post, Fox Business, Bleacher Report, et al also gave attention to Bubba’s announcement.
The topic of CBD in golf went even bigger in early summer with the ESPN story “Golf’s Not So Secret Fascination with CBD“, which named even more Tour players as CBD oil users: David Toms, Vaughn Taylor, DJ Trahan, Kenny Perry, Tom Kite and Scott Piercy, more.
But then the golf CBD information motherload dropped:
In a truly well-written and comprehensive story, Mike Stachura covered every possible angle on CBD use by and effect on golfers, from Tour pros to once-a-week hacks. It was first published in GolfWorld then later reprinted in the August 2019 edition of Golf Digest: “Is This Golf’s Magic Potion?“. (Also read the sidebars that went along with the main report: An Introductory Guide to CBD; Players are Using and Endorsing CBD but the PGA Tour is Wary, and I’m a Believer, a first-person review of CBD use. All highly informative.)
Each of the above stories from all of these major publications always referenced the same often-claimed benefits to golfers: pain and inflammation reduction; an increase in focus; better sleep. That’s pretty much the triple-crown of things any golfer might want in a softgel, gummy, liquid or cream.
My Personal Limited Experience with CBD
After I read the Bubba Watson sponsorship announcement back in May, I decided I wanted to give CBD a try. Between my lower back, hips, hamstrings and a crazy pain that had developed on the outside of my right elbow (really?), I had a body ripe for testing. But I didn’t yet want to go the oil-by-mouth route right off the bat, as that seemed like a commitment. So I looked for a cream to rub on the areas of constant soreness. That way if the cream didn’t work, I would simply stop and toss out the jar.
My search for a product to test wasn’t a very scientific or exhaustive one: I wanted to go cheap and easy. So of course I went to that bastion of cheap and easy, Groupon. I found an inexpensive cream that had a good star-rating and listed what seemed like a reasonable amount of CBD oil, 500mg. (No idea what that meant.) This particular cream also contained menthol and camphor, two common ingredients in pain rubs. So I bought it.
When the jar arrived, I rubbed it on. It shocked me that the cream worked in mere minutes. The sharp pain in my elbow disappeared. The ache in my hamstrings went away. The effects lasted only for 3-4 hours, but it worked. Candidly, I couldn’t believe it worked at all — and I knew this wasn’t even the good stuff.
To be clear, the underlying causes of my aches and pains didn’t go away from using CBD: my hamstrings were still tight, but with the cream they didn’t hurt. My elbow still made that weird little grinding noise, but there was no more sharp pain.
Because I tested a cream, I cannot yet speak to any potential benefits of better sleep or increased focus. But I wasn’t really looking for that, either.
Since my non-scientific test worked for me, I kept going, researching more about any potential negative side-effects of using CBD. I found articles like this medical overview by a prominent doctor that pointed to the most important considerations in choosing CBD products: that a company detail where and how their hemp is sourced; that a company state how their hemp is prepared for use; and that a company guarantees there are no other unwanted trace minerals affecting its purity.
So it seemed to me that if you can find transparency in these three product-quality categories, you have your personal CBD supplier winner.
CBD Kismet
It was only a couple days after reading about these potential issues with CBD that I received an email from Zach Clark. He’s the marketing guy from a local Akron company with a long history in the health foods space that recently developed its own line of CBD products.
You might have heard of this local Akron company: Mustard Seed Market. They’ve been in business in Northeast Ohio for 30+ years, and currently have locations in Highland Square, Montrose and Solon.
Their new CBD product line is called Hemp Luxe™.
Why You Should Try Hemp Luxe
The Mustard Seed Market has always focused on high quality natural and organic foods with strict ingredient standards: no artificial colors, flavorings, or chemical preservatives.
They kept that exact same philosophy when creating Hemp Luxe™, but expanded it even further:
– Made from Certified Organic Hemp
No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or artificial fertilizers.
– Full Spectrum Hemp Extract
Contains all of the hemp’s cannabinoids, fatty acids, phytonutrients and CBD.
– Specialized Non-GMO Genetics
Sourcing the most medicinally-beneficial non-GMO hemp available.
– CO2 Extracted
The hemp is CO2 extracted, a low-temperature method free of chemicals and solvents.
– Third-Party Tested for Potency and Purity
Every batch of hemp we use for our CBD products is tested by an independent lab.
– Colorado Certified Sourcing
All of the hemp we use is grown in the state of Colorado USA, on a vetted farm.
I’ve been looking for a source I could trust to continue on with my testing of CBD, to see how it might help me play golf pain-free and generally feel better. I have my new supplier now, Hemp Luxe™. The fact that it’s a local Northeast Ohio company with a long history and great reputation makes the find even better…
Try Hemp Luxe Now and Save 20%
Hemp Luxe™ offers six “bundles” that contain a mix of different CBD product options to try. If you pick one of these bundles, you SAVE 20% on your order! Bundles are a great way to try out the oil, cream or softgels, each with different product strengths, to see which type of CBD delivery system works best for your body.
SHOP NOW: ALL HEMP LUXE CBD PRODUCT OPTIONS >
Hemp Luxe™ is also available for immediate purchase in all three MUSTARD SEED MARKET LOCATIONS >
P.S. — Hemp Luxe™ is also wholesaling their product line to local retailers, including area golf shops. Interested? Call Gabe Nabors at (330)-310-2662 or contact them online.
