Recently I heard about a rather fascinating golf course which has been built in Mosul, in Iraq. Mosul is an ethnically and religiously diverse city, similar to my two favourite cities, Toronto and New York.
Iraq however is still quite unstable, and violent. And while Mosul is quite tame compared to the rest of the country, it still has a rowdy element.
All the more reason for golf! A game of relaxation and mutual respect. So US Army 1st Lt. Jesse White, of the 426th Forward Support Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, designed a six hole golf course for Mosul! I thought this was pretty surreal, and not such a bad idea, so I thought I’d send Jesse an email congrats, and ask him a few questions.
Where did you get the awesome idea to build a course?
“I really enjoy golf and decided that I needed a place to hit balls when time permitted. I initially built 1 hole of about 150yds. I used a HUMMV antenna with a shop rag on top as a flag. After a while my Battalion Commander, LTC Jeff Kelley, asked if I could add a few holes. So 1 hole grew to 3, then 3 holes grew to our final total of 6. They range in yardage from 40yds to 250yds.”
Is the course open to only american military personnel or officers? What about the locals? Have they shown any interest in golf?
“Everyone can play and most everyone does. There are several American civilians who play and a wide range of different military ranks. We had some Iraqis express interest in playing, but they opted not to because they thought they would embarass themselves. They did putt a couple.”
What role does golf play in helping relieve the stress of being away from home for so long?
“The golf course was our one great escape. Things were not easy in Iraq. The weather was tough, the living conditions were at times tough and we all missed home tremedously. So when we got a chance to play we made the most of it. It was like not being there for an hour or so.”
Do you think that golf can help with the larger role of stabilizing Iraq?
“Maybe one day golf can be a part of the friendship building process. I see how the Ryder cup, even with the heated competition, always seems to be very positive. The President’s cup was another good example of how positive golf can be. But, we still have a lot of hard work left in Iraq before golf will have a chance to bring us closer together. Maybe one day we can have a team event and call it the Freedom Cup - that would be cool.”
I think Jesse White is pretty cool, and the idea of building a make shift golf course a spot on idea. Way to go dude.
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Yeah, and when PGA got wind of the story they sent the people at the course all types of free gear, and hats. I broke the story and I got nothing. All I wanted was a hat!
Comment by Joshua Hutcheson 05.16.05 @ 12:07 pmMy name is MAJ Kirk Whitson and one of the soldiers who played at the TPC at Mosul.
If you can pass this note along with my e-mail on to Mr. Jim Hutcheson and his son, SPC Hutcheson and have them contact me I will send them both a hat.
v/r MAJ Whitson
Comment by MAJ Kirk Whitson 07.28.05 @ 10:23 amLeave a comment
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I realize that at this date my comments are ancient history, but I just ran across
Comment by Jim Hutcheson 04.29.05 @ 2:38 pmthis article, today. I would like you to know that my son, Spec. Joshua Hutcheson,
Public Affairs Office, 101st Airborne Division, wrote the original story on 09/13/03.