“So, who wants to golf today?” Shouted our platoon sergeant on a hot and humid morning while we stood in our company formation. We were in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a city nestled within the isthmus of southern Thailand and a population just north of 100,000 individuals.
Our deployment to Southeast Asia was to participate in an annual military training event held between the Thai and US militaries (now expanded to other militaries, including those of Japan and South Korea), known as Cobra Gold. At its root, Cobra Gold is a diplomatic mission carried out each year since 1981 via large-scale training exercise within the Jungle environments of Thailand. The deployment occurred in April 1996 and included garrison and field exercises routed in collaboration, where we cross-trained with the Thai military. We spent valuable time working with our Thai counterparts, learning their battle techniques while teaching them our battle craft.
“Golfing in Thailand?” I thought to myself, “When will I get the chance to do that again?” It was a great way to spent “Cobra Gold Sports Day”, I thought, which was set up for the soldiers of our unit to engage in various athletic games like soccer, volleyball and softball in lieu of cross-training exercises or jungle operations with the Thai Army. It was a nice way to take a break and enjoy a day off.
A course to challenge the pros:
The course itself was collocated with the Nakhon Si Thammarat International Airport. It was an interesting juxtaposition of asphalt, trees, and grass, which was predictably mowed and maintained at various lengths typical of any golf course.
There were eight soldiers in total from Charlie Company decked out in our gray physical fitness shirts and shorts. A far cry from the chinos and subdued moisture-wicking materials players on the PGA tour were sporting at the time.
There was only one set of rental clubs available for the lot of us and one caddie, tasked with their burden. This presented an interesting dynamic to the round. We all used the same driver to tee off on the par four and five holes and then used the same putter once on the green, but whatever club we needed for our second shot turned out to be the one we’d each use between the tee box and the green. For example, if your third shot was a 50-yard pitch to the green, and you had a seven iron in your hand from your second shot, then you just needed to tone down your swing strength and make it happen, as the seven iron was your club for any fairway activity. It was a unique challenge for the eight of us as well as for our caddie, who miraculously avoided a case of whiplash during the round.
The fairways were narrow compared to most I’ve since played in the states since. While a slice with driver on a typical course would land you one fairway over, on this course, it would put you at least two to three fairways over from your preferred destination. I found myself in this situation on one hole and felt like a compass and map could have aided in my recovery shots.
The course was also interestingly, and dangerously, intertwined with airplane taxiways. For example, teeing off on the first hole included an asphalt area about 100 yards from the tee box directly towards the pin. It just so happened that there was a team of local workers laying and rolling asphalt while we were teeing off and the five of them hid behind a steam roller while we wildly hit our opening shots on the course’s initial hole.
The strange, and hazardous nature of the course was epitomized by a par three hole that was perpendicularly intersected by an airplane taxiway. One of our company’s players, John, teed up his ball and was about to swing an iron when our caddie yelled at him in the native language. We looked to the right and saw that a passenger plane was heading our way and a ball hit in the next few seconds could spell disaster for the people on board, and for us. The plane went by and we were able to hit across the taxiway towards the green again. Who designed this course, anyway?
Our golf outing turned out to be a great day on the course, we were able to walk outdoors, take in nature and the wonders of being in a foreign nation, laugh, relax and enjoy the round during our time off. I still remember how good and recharged I felt after that round.
The benefits of golf:
The various benefits of playing golf are too numerous to detail at length here, however, the biggest gain is related to physical health. These benefits are largely brought about through walking and exertion during swinging through contact. Other benefits including a decrease in stress and anxiety, which provide tangible mental health benefits. Any way you slice it, golf is good for one’s wellbeing.
In what may be considered the most compelling research on the topic, scientists in Sweden studied the relationship between golf and wellbeing. The study was conducted by Farahmand et al., 2008, which included over 300,000 Swedish golfers and non-golfers. They reported that the death rate of golfers studied was 40% lower compared to the non-golfers researched. They equated that difference to an increase in life expectancy of five years in golfers compared to their non-golfing counterparts, regardless of age, gender or income. It is important to note that most of the golfers in this study walked the courses they played, and the act of walking was considered a significant health improvement factor. The authors also cite the social interaction, mental focus, and sense of community associated with golf as being positive factors related to mental health.
The value of golf and golf trips for Veterans:
Golf takes a few hours to play, and allows plenty of time for dialogue at various levels of engagement and depth between club swings. The biggest benefit I took away from that round over 29 years ago was the camaraderie built across the eight of us. To me, the game’s mental health benefits are generated through the relaxed interactions between players.
These days, the soldiers of Charlie Company like to focus our reunions on golf. It is a great, low-impact way for us all to spend time together and bask in all the benefits the game has to offer.
A few months ago, I joined my military family for a few rounds of golf. It was our third golf reunion weekend and we decided on Clearwater, Florida as the destination. This was largely due to one of our teammates, George, being the local guy who knew all the local courses and restaurants. It’s always great to have local input driving the planning of trips like these.
One of our 2025 Clearwater Veteran Reunion members was also a member of the 1996 Charlie Company team from Thailand. Steve lives in Fairbanks Alaska and, while the outdoor golf season in the Last Frontier is limited, he was tuned in and hitting them straight and pure.
A few hours into one of our best-ball scramble rounds the two of us got to talking about the Clearwater Veteran Reunion and golf in general. I casually asked, “Did you ever think that we’d be golfing again, 29 years later and on the other side of the world from our first time on a course together?” Steve replied, “Man, definitely not, it’s crazy to think about. I’m so glad I was able to join you all for this trip, I’m only sorry I missed the last two.”
It was as if the 29-year gap in time between golf rounds mystically disappeared. As we finished up the last round of the weekend, we all started making plans for the 2026 Charlie Company Veteran Reunion.
I look forward to planning the next trip with my fellow Veterans and meeting them all on the golf course next year. We may even look for a course to play that has unique transportation features embedded in the course, such as an intersecting railroad line, highway, or even a few airplane taxiways. Challenges such as these can only help make a great story for us all.
