Dingmann is a man on a mission
He wants to use golf to relieve stress in Iraq
Eager to talk about athletic pursuits while serving his third tour of duty in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Tony Dingmann offered a sobering reminder of daily life as an active, deployed member of the Army National Guard. “Talk later … alarms are going off and need to make for the bunker,’’ Dingmann wrote in an e-mail yesterday. He wasn’t talking about a sand trap. If all goes according to plan, though, perhaps someday he will. When he’s home, the psychiatrist from Bourne is, among other things, the medical director at the Cape Cod & Islands Community Mental Health Center. Overseas, he takes the pulse of the emotional well-being of his fellow service members, looking for ways to keep spirits up and suggesting outlets where they can relieve the stress brought on by their dangerous jobs.
Dingmann is turning to golf, and he’s asking for our help. He’d like to install two golf practice facilities for the troops stationed where he is, at an American base in Basra, Iraq. He envisions the smaller practice area consisting of just a mat and a net. He wants the larger range to be 100 yards by 300 yards. Ideally, it will be fully stocked with golf gear. “Golf, or any other nonmilitary activity while deployed, gives the SMs [service members] a respite from their daily grind, distracts them, gathers them together at a different venue to laugh, compete, or hone their skills,’’ Dingmann said via e-mail. “And yes … they also would love to spank some little white balls in the desert! I mention the possibility and they look at me like, ‘Are you for real?’ I want them to know … they can do this any time they can be free from their primary task as a soldier over here.’’
For Dingmann to complete his project, he’s asking for donated equipment. “Used stuff is fine, actually preferred, because it will get beat up here, anyway.’’ He estimated that they already have about a dozen used clubs. Titleist sent over eight boxes of balls. The request list, though, is long. Fortunately, it includes items that aren’t hard to find. Dingmann is asking for clubs, gloves, balls, tees (“possibly the rubber ones that don’t have to be stuck into the ground; ground is hard clay here’’), bags, golf hats, range mats, poles, good netting, and hand-held range pickers.
Pearson Marine Group CEO/ President Patrick Burke and SherryAnn Burke worked with Pinehills in orchestrating the effort of getting as much equipment into the hands of those serving in Basra. Pinehills already has pledged balls, mats, and more than 100 golf clubs, but much more is being sought.
If all goes well, Dingmann is hoping to conduct a golf competition at the proposed practice facility, and was already thinking about prizes when he included two more items on the wish list: cigars and polo shirts.
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| Thousands of donated Clubs,Balls and other Golf Equipment |
Dingmann is turning to golf, and he’s asking for our help. He’d like to install two golf practice facilities for the troops stationed where he is, at an American base in Basra, Iraq. He envisions the smaller practice area consisting of just a mat and a net. He wants the larger range to be 100 yards by 300 yards. Ideally, it will be fully stocked with golf gear. “Golf, or any other nonmilitary activity while deployed, gives the SMs [service members] a respite from their daily grind, distracts them, gathers them together at a different venue to laugh, compete, or hone their skills,’’ Dingmann said via e-mail. “And yes … they also would love to spank some little white balls in the desert! I mention the possibility and they look at me like, ‘Are you for real?’ I want them to know … they can do this any time they can be free from their primary task as a soldier over here.’’
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| PMG employees help in offloading the donations for shipment to Iraq. |
For Dingmann to complete his project, he’s asking for donated equipment. “Used stuff is fine, actually preferred, because it will get beat up here, anyway.’’ He estimated that they already have about a dozen used clubs. Titleist sent over eight boxes of balls. The request list, though, is long. Fortunately, it includes items that aren’t hard to find. Dingmann is asking for clubs, gloves, balls, tees (“possibly the rubber ones that don’t have to be stuck into the ground; ground is hard clay here’’), bags, golf hats, range mats, poles, good netting, and hand-held range pickers.
If all goes well, Dingmann is hoping to conduct a golf competition at the proposed practice facility, and was already thinking about prizes when he included two more items on the wish list: cigars and polo shirts.
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