U.S. Troops in Iraq Need Golf Course

[Forrest Richardson]

From TravelGolf.com: July 7, 2003 —

"Best idea of the week comes out of San Diego, where they've started the Operation Desert Golf Foundation, a nonprofit working to help the U.S. troops in Iraq fill their downtime with a little golf. The foundation hopes to put together a few synthetic-grass courses, along with driving ranges and putting greens. To get the program started, the group is looking for clubs, balls, shoes and other equipment. If you're interested in donating, call Cheryl Luque at (858) 487-3673."

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This may be the opportunity many of you aspiring golf course architects are looking for — go for it! Sincerely, I hope some GCA patrons will take this as a challenge. How wonderful it would be to see the GCA "Community" become integrated in this great idea.

Golf has such a great ability to transport us away from life's struggles. How remarkable a program such as this will be for the young men and women we have placed in this problem-rich part of the world.

[Jonathan Cummings]

finding sand shouldn't be a problem....

Actually Forrest's post about synthetic-grass brings a question to mind.  Has astroturf (or something like that) ever been used as a substitute for carts paths?  Some community courses, lined with houses, are forced to have narrow holes.  To make matters worse, some of these courses have a continuous cart path making the effective playing width of the narrow holes even narrower (hit the cart path and bounce OB where the ball might have a chance to stay in if there were no cart path).  I believe a synthetic surface would reduce this "effective narrowing".  Besides it would look better.  It can be green instead of black.

JC  

[A_Clay_Man]

What an honor to the designer of Sandy Greens in Apache Junction.

I saw some great terrain in the early days of operation lionsgate. It seemed it was in the former river valley south of Baghdad and east of najef.

[RJ_Daley]

I swear that some of the steppe like grasslands shown in the northern Iraq footage reminded me of the sand hills.  I don't know if they have an adequate aquifer up there, but it looked pretty golfy to me.  Random dumb bombs would save on bunker construction and put some luck back into the tee shot part of the game.  It is just those pesky details like dress code for the caddies - no suicide vests, and placing the golf compound outside of RPG and mortar range...

I nominate Keffrey Bower to go over there and build it, and take Forrest Gumperson with him.  At least we'll get another adventure novel out of it.

[Brian Phillips]

Forrest,

Thats just what the place doesnt need...more annoyance to the locals.  I dont think it would be such a great idea for anyone at all to start constructing anything like that in someone elses land.

...dont get me started..

Brian

[noonan]

Bring home all troops now....give them free golf at any muni for a year.....they do not need to be in Iraq any longer.

JK

[Bruceski]

Right now, perhaps the Troops need Kevlar more than they need Titanium.

[Forrest Richardson]

Brian,

I do not think the intent is to build anything permanent, but rather to create a recreation venue that might be there for less than 12 months. Actually, the DNA within all human beings which seeks to hunt and to follow projectiles is bound to play well to any culture — it is a pure activity...far better than video games or most modern "recreation" I can envision our troops undertaking.

[David_Elvins]

Forrest Richardson,

I enjoy many of your posts and always enjoy your extensive contributions to this site. However I hope this thread dies a quick death.  It has no relevance to golf course architecture and although it has some relevance to the game of golf, it's basis is political.  Political discussion is divisive at best, and when it is on a discussion board where what is said is not always what is meant, it can be particularly so.

A bit has been said in other threads as to why there seems to be fewer "international" contributions to this site than there once was.  I cannot help but think that threads like this, founded in Conservative American Politicure, contribute greatly to the alienation of international members of GCA.

Cheers,
David

[Forrest Richardson]

David,

I do not consider "Operation Desert Golf Foundation" political. Rather, it is entertainment — a considerate idea to occupy the minds and bodies of enlisted individuals who are serving a cause. The cause itself was embarked upon by nations. I do not hold that golf, a game, is any less if brought to the temporary doorstep of this temporary desert community.

Nor do I suggest that any golf course I've designed or improved should not welcome people with a different political viewpoint than my clients, my community or me.

This group's idea to bring golf to Iraq has every bit of golf architecture written upon its face, just as the idea of bringing music to some far-off spot in the world might have its place — no matter the politics, policies or preferences.

[RJ_Daley]

If there is such a thing as an international mindset and sensitivities offended by what has been said so far on this thread, I suggest that that international community finding anything here as objectionable or distasteful start a new discussion site of complete humorless pablum and prattle.

I swear, we Americans are getting really sick and tired of being preached to by socially and intellectually effite, escapist, euro-greens and pacifist, who interject their anti-american bias into every freakin conversation, from golf matters to gulf policy.  When you have your dog in the fight and support them (excluding the courageous decision of Tony Blair and the Brits to do the right thing) then have a take that don't suck.  But we were generally talking about the realistic feasibility to have the game of golf available to service men and I would hope, to Iraqi's in the future, as something of a genteel and peaceful pursuit of recreation and good fellowship, were we not?

Well said Forrest!

[Forrest Richardson]

Well, I will maintain my non-political view on this. Quite simply, golf is a wonderful game — it has been so to me and my family. I know of its healing powers. Its ability to bring people together who may never have considered meeting or spending time with one another. And I also know how adicting it can be to those who are away from it for prolonged periods of time. I believe this is what this discussion is/should be about.

[noonan]

http://www.golftransactions.com/equipment/clubcorp072103.html

JK

[Willie_Dow]

Yes!

Go for it!  These doomsayers are driving the future into chaos!

Willie