| Everybody’s heard the corny joke about military golf (left, right, left …), but how well do you know the game’s history with our national defenses? Perhaps you’re aware that Ben Hogan served as a fitness trainer and flight instructor in World War II, Bobby Jones was an interrogations specialist in the same war, and Arnold Palmer served three years in the Coast Guard. Among the greatest military golf stories of modern times is Persian Gulf War veteran Billy Hurley who, having plummeted to 607th in the world in 2016 after his father’s suicide, captured his only PGA Tour win at the Quicken Loans National on a sponsor’s exemption.
In honor of Veterans Day, we've selected four timeless pieces from the Golf Digest Archive. Two-time U.S. Open champion Larry Nelson, who picked up a club for the first time after his tour in Vietnam, recounted his time in the jungle in chilling detail in this My Shot profile. Nelson believed these formative experiences helped his competitive toughness only somewhat. "In Vietnam you had to let events sort of bounce off you to keep your sanity. That temperament is good for golf, to a point. But I found that by never allowing myself to get excited, I was wasting a valuable resource, because emotions can really lift a player if he does it right."
Like Nelson, Staff Sergeant Ramon Padilla picked up golf late. After his arm was blown off in Afghanistan, the game was an unlikely yet effective therapy for treating the Mexican-American's PTSD. You can watch Padilla's emotional story in a video produced by Alan P. Pittman here.
Tiger Woods' forays into Navy Seals training are well-documented, but did you know the most adventurous assignment a Golf Digest writer ever handled was when Tom Callahan went deep into Vietnam to find the war buddy who Earl Woods named his son after, and against all odds, did. Sit down with "In Search of Tiger Phong" when you have time for a long read.
When he was 70, Lee Trevino told Golf Digest, "If they told me I had to go back in the Marines now, hell, I'd love it." Like Trevino, Callahan served in the Marines and that's why he was also the obvious choice to write another classic: "The Golfer Who Killed Bin Laden." Roger O'Neill's claim violated a code of silence for some and drew controversy, but his telling remains a worthwhile window to a fateful night.
May the links between our great game and the military continue to strengthen, thanks in part to new organizations like On Course, who help injured veterans with access to the game and employment opportunities within the golf industry. However you choose to observe today's holiday, make time for a veteran in your actions or even just your thoughts. |
