Hitting your questions first:

1. Shoes in the current rotation have, in order of most frequent use: Mizuno Inspire 6 = 217, Nike LunarEclipse = 163, and and Asics Kayano 16 = 302 miles.  Nothing with a small heel-toe height differential, and no new equipment recently.
2. Pain and swelling.  Pain has been minimized after resting (sleep, naps, just putting it up for a while like watching TV).  Gets more sore with use, though -- even just walking around.
3. No hill workouts lately, no significantly hillier terrain than usual.  I ran a progressive 10 on the 16^th, but the tendon was fine through to the afternoon of the 19^th.  I strongly suspect the cause was three days of traipsing around on hilly terrain and sandy soil with a 25-pound golf bag.
4. I don’t feel any lumps, nodules, or crackling/static/creaking.  But pressing sure does hurt!

Thanks for the treatment overview.  I’m trying to get in to see the sports-medicine doctor early next week, and I’ve got a massage therapy appointment Tuesday (and that dude is familiar with ART).  I’m going to escalate to icing the crap out of it, starting NOW.

I did one calf raise this morning, on flat ground and using both legs.  Nope, not ready for any more of that.  FWIW, I have a pretty strong toe-off, so I don’t think it’s a calf weakness issue.  I really think I just strained it with the golf (including the foreign torque/load stress of the golf swing itself, many times repeated), the uneven walking, the soft soil, and perhaps my golf shoes (which may have a lower heel relative to the forefoot height).

Paul, nice run (your a "machine").

Cliff/Clive, if it is an Achilles tear, the scar tissue will begin to present itself as it heals.  In addition to ART, the PT also did ultrasound & a stimulator as a fyi. As far as your shoes, the Kayano has one the highest heel-to-toe differentials (good to wear when your first cleared to run again). Regarding #3, from what my PT told me, this injury is more of a function of stressing it over time to a point where it gets weaker and then you do something that "puts it over the top". For example, if you go thru your log in the 6-8 weeks prior to the 19th, did you increase your mileage significantly or make an increase in frequency (i.e., run 7 days over consecutive (or more) weeks where in the past you were taking days off)?  The time playing golf probably put you into the red zone (if you were on vacation playing golf, why are you carrying your bags?).  I think your dead on about the sudden and increased load on the Achilles from the golf swing playing a key role -- especially combined with the running you out there.   Best of luck and keep us updated.