Golfer visits Hurlburt Airmen, offers game advice

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  A professional golfer autographed golf balls, posed for pictures and answered questions for dozens of Airmen and civilians at the Gator Lakes golf course at Hurlburt Field Dec. 3.

Boo Weekley, a native of Milton, Fla., took time to visit with servicemembers and express his thanks for their daily sacrifices.

"It's a real honor to be here to do this, because I have total support for all that you do," he said.

Mr. Weekley said the importance of visiting with the military was personal as he has a cousin and close friends currently serving in Iraq.

"You all come out here and support our families, and it hurts me that you don't get the reputation you all should get for what you do for us," he said.

He also took questions about different situations throughout his career, including winning the Ryder Cup in 2008, which he called the highlight of his career.

Between autograph sessions, Mr. Weekley demonstrated his golf skills with different wedges, irons and woods at the driving range.

"I remember hitting one of them so far that it landed in the parking lot. I was walking around and didn't know where it was. I saw one next to a car and wondered how it got there. I picked it up and it was all scuffed and that's when I knew it was mine," he said.

On average, Mr. Weekley said that he hits between 1,000 and 1,500 balls in a given day.

"To be successful at golf, you have to be focused on what you pursue. You have to find your weakness and work on it," he said. "Golf is a distance control game--you're just trying to chip it close to the hole. That's your goal for every shot."

Staff Sgt. Blake Swilley, 1st Special Operations Equipment Maintenance Squadron, said he was grateful for the opportunity to meet Mr. Weekley.

"I was very excited to meet someone like this. It was a great honor for him to come here and give time to the Airmen," he said.

Airman 1st Class Robert Quick, 1st Special Operations Medical Operations Squadron, is a golf fan who met Mr. Weekley at the 2008 Ryder Cup and met him again at the event.

"I like the way he treats the military. It's outstanding, and it says a lot about his character," he said.