Nov. 23, 2004 – Cameron Beckman had never been on a military base before Monday. What he saw at Camp Walker in Daegu in the Republic of South Korea, though, certainly made him glad to have made the trip.
Beckman and Frank Lickliter II took time off from their preparation for this week's inaugural Shinhan Korea Golf Championship to put on a clinic Monday for troops stationed at Camp Walker, Camp Henry and Camp George. "We can't really thank them enough for what they're doing," Beckman said. "It's incredible the sacrifices they make for us. I pay attention to the politics and what's going on in the world, and I think it's important we support our troops and this was just one way I could do it.
"It was a no-brainer to go and try to give something back to them for all they do for us." The effort made by the two PGA Tour champions was much appreciated by the soldiers gathered around the first tee at Evergreen Golf Club.
Lickliter at clinic for U.S. troops at Camp Walker, Camp Henry and Camp George.
"I think it is great that they came here," said Staff Sgt. Richard Young, the reigning U.S. Army golf champion. "They could be down in Jeju practicing where it is warm but they came here in the cold to be with us."
Beckman and Lickliter began their day by taking the high-speed bullet train to Daegu where Camp Walker, which is a support unit of nearly 40,000 troops, is located. "We were doing about 150 miles an hour on this train and it was smooth as silk," Beckman said. "There were no seat belts, though, and that was a little scary. We got to see a little bit of the country. It was an eye-opening experience."
Lickliter and Beckman got a guided tour of the base prior to the clinic and stayed for lunch afterwards. They spent almost as much time talking with the soldiers as they did dazzling them with a variety of shots. "When I do a clinic like this, I show them a few things and then I ask them what they want to know," Lickliter said. "The first one usually is, "Yes, I know Tiger" so we get that out of the way. Seriously, that is the first question I get asked.
"We went for a good hour hitting balls and answering questions. After a while they get tired of looking at the straight shots so then you hook a few and slice a few and explain how to do that. I spent only about 10 minutes actually hitting balls, the rest of the time was just answering questions."
Two years ago, Lickliter, whose father was a Navy pilot during the Cuban Missile Crisis, collected over 600 pounds of golf equipment from other TOUR pros and members at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, his home course. Then he helped deliver the giant care package to the servicemen stationed at Guantanamo Bay.
Lickliter, a two-time winner, also played golf on the Stadium Course with several servicemen the Tour helped to build a practice facility at their military base in Iraq. Not surprisingly, here was no hesitation when he was asked to give the clinic in Korea.
"All the guys in the crowd were dressed in camouflage," Lickliter said. "It's guys from Hilton Head, guys from Sahalee, guys from Oregon. It's cool because they follow the Tour and they love the game and it's a chance for them to talk to Cameron and I right where they work, which is a long way from home. They really appreciate it.
"I've got friends who are in the service and I know people who are in Iraq and Afghanistan. These guys might not be in the combat zone but they're over here protecting our country. South Korea/North Korea is huge and it's been in the news lately and it's something that people back home read about in the newspapers.
"These guys are out living it everyday. What they do for us is incredible. They allow me to live a dream. They are the ones doing the most important job and it's nice for us just to be able to say thanks." Beckman, too, was struck by the sacrifice of the men and women he met Monday. One soldier said he hadn't seen his family in 10 months -- "I can't imagine that," Beckman said.
"I was in awe of the whole thing," he said. "You really get to see how the troops are living over here. For me it would be difficult to do. You get a sense of the sacrifice they're making for the United States. It's pretty neat. It gives me chills just thinking about it.
"I had no idea what to imagine and I never would have imagined what I saw today. I got a good feeling for what they're doing and it's pretty neat. I'd do it again, without a doubt. I wish more guys get a chance to do what we did today."
Source: PGA
