WHAT OUR CLUB IS ABOUT
By: Kelly Stacy
USA Military Veterans Golf and Country
World Golf Tour (WGT) is an internet virtual golf game. It allows people from all over the world to come together to play some of the famous courses that professional golfer’s like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson play on. You can play the beautiful greens of Cabo San Lucas or the heartbreaking course Merion. You can join a virtual country club or set up one of your own. You can play by yourself and try to beat your favorite golfer’s average on a course or you can compete with someone from across the country or across the world. My husband started playing this game about three years ago. A few months ago he started playing regularly and joined a country club inside WGT called USA Military Veterans. At that time I thought this game was a waste of time and money. That was before I got to meet some of the members of USA Military Veterans. Now I know it is more than just golf.
About six months ago, I decided that I would play this virtual game to spend extra time with my husband. My husband, Carl, originally started playing WGT and was not involved in USA Military Veterans. He tried starting his own country club called the HyperSkypers. Carl called it that because they were Skyping and playing golf quite a bit. He was then told of the country club USA Military Veterans. He is the son of a service man who served in the Army, Air National Guard, and the US Marine Corps Reserve. Carl was invited to play with 2 members of the country club. After talking with them, he was accepted into the club. A few days after I started to play the game with my husband, I was accepted into the club.
USA Military Veterans is a country club within WGT that was set up for the men and women who served our country or for their loved ones. The club was originally started by Michael B, also known as mgbirish in the world of WGT in October of 2011. Starr, who is now the new owner of the club, told me that, “He started it for a place where military veterans could gather and have a friendly game of online golf. Mike is a great guy and would give you the shirt off his back. He has helped many people on WGT as well as in real life. His dedication to military vets and service men and women is awesome. No matter what service they are/were in.” According to Starr, the club gives its members a chance to be themselves despite disabilities and PTSD. Starr is a Canadian who has never served in the military. She gladly took over the club to keep it going. She has the utmost respect for anyone who is willing to lay there life down for what they believe in. Starr keeps USA Military Veterans web site http://usa-military-veterans-cc-wgt.com up and running.
The great thing about this club is that it doesn’t matter what branch you are or were in or where you served. They will even accept you if you didn’t serve but had a family member who did. Each member of this club has some type of connection to the military. It gives it camaraderie.
Starr also stated, “So many people have become great online friends in this club as well as a few meeting outside of it. Most know what the others have been through in their experiences and they tend to help others deal with some situations that arise. They feel each other’s pain. I have witnessed how some of the members take others under their wing to comfort them when going through some flashbacks and some sad situations in their home life now. They will try to accommodate each other with a sense of pride in knowing what they have been through and believe me some have been through horrible times.”
You don’t have to be a vet or a family member to join. Jag is a Canadian who was accepted because of the recommendation of other golfer’s. He respects and understands what this virtual country club is all about. Jag has been nice enough to play with me and try to teach me what he can.
One member, Bruce, is a veteran who is currently battling a rare form of cancer. Bruce lives in Florida today. He is a fisherman now. My husband and he have become good friends. They talk through Skype daily. Bruce, besides my husband, was the first player to friend me and try to teach me some skills. He was very patient as I worked through my hard headedness and unwillingness to use a calculator to make my putts. I asked Bruce why he enjoys WGT and the country club. He says, “For the chance to meet great people like you all and lots of tourney’s.”
USA Military Veterans puts on tournaments that gives you a chance to play other golfer’s one on one or as a team. You can Skype while you play. Recently my husband and many members played in the Virtual US Open tournament. They followed the pros on Merion for four days and played an online tournament of eighteen holes each day. Carl states, “That was a blast. They need to do more of those types of tournaments.”
Mike, who lives in North Carolina plays often as well. He makes homemade bar-b-que sauce and jellies. He took me under his wing to teach me how to play better and has gifted several virtual items to many members including myself. Mike told me a story of how at Christmas time members will send other members virtual clubs and balls. Mike told me of a guy who got up on Christmas morning and logged into WGT. He noticed a message in which he saw someone had sent him new irons as a Christmas gift. This member started crying as he was overwhelmed with joy that someone would send him a gift.
In the last several months, I have come to realize that this is more than just a virtual golf game. Yes, it is fun to play. Getting better means you move up in the ranks of golf. You can play tournaments and courses that your favorite golfer may play. USA Military Veterans is about meeting people from all walks of life. It is about an extended family. It is not a perfect family. There are tiffs and spats. Members come and go. We recently acquired a new president for the club, Dave, a.k.a. Bogeyplus. Starr is still a member of the club. We are all grateful for Dave stepping up to keep our club going.
For someone like me, who has never served, it is about learning more about our veterans. It is about being able to spend time with people I would have never met otherwise. I am grateful for the chance to talk with these amazing people. It is an honor to write about USA Military Veterans. To give our vets the spotlight they deserve.