VETERAN jockey Dean Yendall has been given the all-clear to return to the saddle, but his long-term ambitions is to play golf professionally.
A keen and talented golfer, Yendall plans to turn professional after signing up to a golf program aimed at developing players for the PGA Legends Tour.
“I’ve pushed further along the golf path; I’ve actually put in an application for a golf performance program,” Yendall said.
“The guys at the PGA are pretty keen to get me in. I want to have my body right to get stuck into it, I want to be fully focused before I go into it.
“Four days a week is golf, then you get three days off, so I might just be a weekend jockey and just ride Saturdays.”
After completing the year-long program, Yendall hopes to permanently swap the saddle for the golf clubs.
“There’s much less chance of getting injured on the golf course than riding racehorses,” he said.
Yendall has been recovering after suffering a neck injury in a fall at Terang last December.
The popular rider has been out of the saddle since and, while still aiming to return to riding competitively, Yendall admits there are no guarantees.
“The doctor was happy to clear me at my last appointment, so (Dr) Gary Zimmerman had to give me a clearance too, and he was happy for me to make some sort of progress into riding,” Yendall told Racing.com.
“The first one I got on, it didn’t feel the best, felt a bit uncomfortable going around and I pulled up sore as expected. Ifelt a bit on the motion sickness side too, which was weird.
“We did everything under the sun to figure out what was going on. My neck was okay, but I pulled up stiff the next day.
“The next morning, I went out and rode another one at Paul Preusker’s and was good as gold. I felt good apart from just general soreness, I think all my yoga and Pilates has helped.”
Yendall has left no stone unturned in his rehabilitation journey, with the 48-year-old committed to a vigorous schedule that includes Pilates and even a spot of gymnastics.
“My pilates instructor been smashing me on the reformer trying to get strength,” Yendall said.
“By what they do, and there’s no way I’ll be a gymnast!
“We were doing pull-ups, somersaults, the big bars where you jump from one to the other, the next day I was so sore through my ribs and my sternum and my core too.
“Something you don’t usually do and it really tested the limits.
“I haven’t set a goal to return to riding. I want to be 100 per cent, not just my fitness but mentally. I want to be committed to it.”
Yendall will certainly have no trouble playing 72 holes in a golf tournament as soon as he completes his PGA course in about 12 months.
Australia's Golf News Leader, Inside Golf gives you in-depth coverage of Australian golf news, golf events, golf travel and holiday destinations, Australian and international golf course reviews, the hottest new golf gear and tips and drills to improve your golf game. Written by award-winning journalists, Inside Golf also features interviews with Australia's top professional golfers, the game's rising stars, industry leaders and golf equipment manufacturers. You can even win great golf prizes and equipment. It’s all in Inside Golf. FREE at Australian golf courses, driving ranges and golf retailers across Australia. 
