The Official Tour Blog of Cobra Golf

Nov 29, 2009 - 05:06 PM

Cobra Staff member and Golf Entertainer/World Long Drive Champion, Dan Boever, is visiting Iraq on a goodwill tour to meet with the troops. This is the tenth in a series of updates from his travels.

November 29, 2009 Our second stop on this day would be to Camp Carver. We reached this location after a 15-minute helicopter ride from FOB Hammer. As we approached you could see a nice big wall around the entire facility. We had been told earlier that Hammer and Carver were set up so the troops could move out of Baghdad.

When we got off the choppers we met Lt. Colonel Rich Greene and CSM (Command Sergeant Major) Ben Jones. I knew in a hurry this stop was going to be special. We were met by a large group of soldiers and you could tell they were eager to see some golf balls get in the air. As I shook the hand of Lt. Colonel Greene, I instantly knew he was not someone to mess around with. He is made of re-bar, laser beams and a super duper electronic chip. Wrap all that together and plug it into a heart the size of Texas and you have the man who was hurting my hand.

After a few more handshakes with troops we moved to the location designated to hit balls. It was a scenic area just a few feet from where we landed. And by scenic I mean rocky. There were rocks on top of rocks. But guess what? There wasn’t a person there who gave a crud that we weren’t on the driving range at Pebble Beach. I imagine I couldn’t have found a better place in the golf world to be than right there.  Our man Tim Simpson got things cranking and then the guys got to ask Tom and Corey some questions. You can watch these dudes on TV all day long, but there is nothing like hearing the stories firsthand.

When my turn came, I hit a few balls up into the air. These shots will go roughly 800 feet straight up before they land 12 seconds later. One of the guys joked that the balls might possibly show up on their radar system designed to track incoming mortar.  We all had a big laugh and I asked how high it would need to be. Lt. Greene told me I should hit one at the 300 foot tower behind us to see if it would track it. I told him I didn’t want to hit anyone and his answer was that it would only hurt for awhile (yikes). Considering it a direct order, I took aim at the very top of the tower. My second shot was right on track from the beginning. The minute it left the club face everyone knew it had a chance, and when it clanged off the tower a foot from the top everyone went crazy.

When I am old and can’t remember what day it is or what a 7 iron is used for, I will always remember that shot with the troops so far from anywhere smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

The other really cool thing that happened during the clinic was Lt. Colonel Don’t-screw-with-me got a chance to hit the second golf shot of his life. He said his dad was a huge golfer and he remembered spending many Sunday afternoons watching tournaments with him. You could tell the memories were still vivid and it was a wonderful time together for father and son. His first shot had been many years earlier with his dad. Now he was in front of his men and to top it all off he had the great Tom Watson standing right next to him. I could tell he was nervous as he waggled a bit, and by a bit I mean Sergio-of-years-gone-by waggles.  To no one’s surprise (actually, probably everyone’s surprise), he laced his right down the middle. It was a wonderful moment watching this man step up and do what should not have been done. I am confident that is just a normal day at the office for him.

At dinner, Lt. Colonel Greene presented me with a plaque that showed the tracking of the ball! The radar had in fact picked up the flight of the golf ball. I was speechless for the first time in a long time as I looked at this simple little piece of paper. It has to be one of the most special gifts I have ever gotten.

During our meal together we spoke about the struggles troops have to keep their families strong. The concern for his troops and their families was evident in his words and on his face. I told him I could already feel the effects of being gone and out of touch after a mere four or five days, and that I couldn’t imagine months or years. Having a strong, healthy family is tough even in the best of times, but throw in the pressures of being gone and days filled with constant worry and you have a bunch of folks who need our support and prayers.

I asked what I could do when I got home and he said, “Shake someone’s hand, tell them you appreciate them and offer to take them to lunch.”

That is something I can definitely do.

Soon our Black Hawks were back to fly us off to our last location of the night. The time had flown and I was genuinely sad to leave. I got the feeling it won’t be the last time I speak with Lt. Colonel Greene.

“It will only hurt for awhile,” … I want to make sure that man is always my friend!