by Sgt. Gary A. Witte
210th MPAD
AL ASAD, Iraq – It's hard to practice your golf swing when you live in a sand trap, but Soldiers of the Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 593th Corps Support Group, have a solution.
Next to the unit's headquarters, former streetlight poles have been bolted to concrete protective barriers in order to hang a shade canopy in the air. Two small Astroturf-covered platforms, which can be moved from 20 to 70 feet away, sit on the ground next to a covered bucket filled with golf balls.
Many staff members have golf clubs in their office, including group paralegal NCO Staff Sgt. Joshua L. Quinton of Seattle, Wash.
"It's a good release ... It's nice to get out of the office for even 10 minutes to hit a few balls," Quinton said. "It kind of takes you out of this place for a minute."
The driving range was the brainchild of Support Operations Sgt. Maj. Clinton A. Beers of Boise, Idaho, who took inspiration from the driving range nets at golf stores. He saw streetlight poles that had been knocked down by tanks or other vehicles and came up with the idea.
"I love golf," Beers said. "I thought if I could get my hands on a couple of those, I could make it happen."
The initial driving range was completed at the end of September, and with the contributions of a stateside golf business and a former commander, the unit has numerous clubs and plenty of golf balls.
"We could lose 500 balls in the desert and still have a thousand left," Beers said.
Despite the size of the canopy, which is 40 feet tall by 60 feet wide, they occasionally have a golfer who manages to miss it, but the problem is a rare one, Beers said.
The military doctrine of constantly improving the fighting position has been applied to the driving range. There are plans to have a working streetlight pole installed, which would essentially allow it to be open to golf enthusiasts 24 hours a day.
"Pretty soon we'll mount that and we'll be able to hit balls at night, too," Beers said.
The canopy is raised with a pulley system, which allows it to be lowered during severe weather. If it isn't lowered during high winds, the canopy acts as a sail and billows out of control, Beers said.
Quinton, who built the platforms and maintains a set of clubs for others to borrow, said they are also thinking about building a small putting green out of concrete in the break area.
Despite the opportunities the driving range offers, Quinton doesn't seem to expect it to take his golf skills to professional levels.
"Hopefully it's maintained what I had before I left, which wasn't very good," he said, smiling.
Likewise, Beers said he hopes to keep his game up as well as his handicap, which stands at eight. To help it along, he recently ordered a custom set of clubs and had them sent here from home.
"I don't have time to do it every day, but I do it when I can," he said.
| Date Taken: |
11.27.2006 |
| Date Posted: |
11.27.2006 13:23 |
| Story ID: |
8388 |
| Location: |
AL ASAD, IQ |
| Web Views: |
267 |
| Downloads: |
205 |
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