Photo By Sgt. Uriel Avendano | The Marine Corps Air Station Yuma's annual Intramural Golf Championship Match between...... read more read more
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YUMA, Ariz. - The gentleman’s sport. An arena where etiquette, fair play, and sportsmanship prevails, even in the amateur ranks.
The staging ground for Marine Corps Air Station Yuma’s annual Intramural Golf Championship Match between Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron and Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, was set at Yuma’s Desert Hills Municipal Golf Course, Aug. 28.
The tournament, part of Marine Corps Community Services’ golf season, began in the first week of August. The season started with roughly 10 teams from different units from around base in April, all vying for a slot in the playoffs with each team consisting of four golfers.
“I love golf. Love the camaraderie with the crew,” said Cpl. Sterling Hill, an ARFF rescue man and a native of Dundee, Mich. “We still have that sense of brotherhood underneath the professionalism.”
Hill, who’s been in the Marine Corps just under three years, is paired with his officer-in-charge Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Wieczorek, the ARFF OIC and a native of Montana, who has 20 years of Marine Corps experience under his belt. But on the links, rank defers to teamwork and rapport.
“You get to know all these different people from all around the base,” said Wieczorek. “And, more than likely, it’s Monday morning cooler talk the next day.”
MCCS has several intramural sports tournaments available for Marines. From flag football to softball to golf and more, it gives participants a variety of options to develop their skills and competitive spirit.
“You just make that one good shot and it makes you want to come out again,” said Wieczorek, who’s won the tournament before.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Marsh, the station Installation Personnel Administration Center director who played for Station HQ and is a native of Mesa, Arizona, is a golfer by trade and considers it a hobby he entertains in the little spare time he has. This marks his first participation in the golf tournament.
“You get out, away from the day-to-day grind of Marine Corps life. You get out here, talk about different things that don’t necessarily relate to the job,” said Marsh. “I think it brings Marines closer together; there’s really no rank out here. It’s a golf course.”
The guys’ sportsmanship, from the moment they teed off, was shared when a great shot hit the fairway or a ball dropped on the green. The golfers gave credit where credit was due.
This, in golf, is not rare. Honor and integrity is interwoven into the ethos of the sport through tradition. Virtues that golf and the Marine Corps holds in high esteem. Parallels between the two are not hard to find.
“There are no referees out here. Each individual golfer is responsible for the rules of golf. There’s not always someone who’s going to be watching your every move,” said Marsh. “If the ball moves, or if you’re up against a rock, your Corps values come into play.”
After 18 holes of golf and over four hours of sun, H&HS, who entered the match undefeated, left the same with a score of 7-5.
“Marsh was two under going into the 17th hole, and finished by shooting a 72, a true ‘par for the course’,” said Capt. Gene Colbert, the station adjutant and a native of Hilliard, Fla. “Marsh was prepping for early retirement and the PGA Senior Tour,” he added with a smile.
For more information about intramural sports or registration, contact Walter Sosinski, MCCS athletic director, at Building 1093.
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2012 18:51 |
| Story ID: | 93997 |
| Location: | YUMA, AZ, US |
| Hometown: | DUNDEE, MI, US |
| Hometown: | HILLIARD, FL, US |
| Hometown: | MESA, AR, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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