×

Hughesville grad Crawley earns PGA Patriot Award

After doing two tours of duty with the United States Army in Baumholder, Germany, from 1992-99, David Crawley decided he wanted to stay overseas and live there. In addition to his two tours, he did a six-month deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a NATO peacekeeping mission in 1997 and 1998.

While he was living in Germany, Crawley ended up getting a job working on a maintenance crew at a golf course.

Crawley had never actually played golf. Growing up in Hughesville, he admits the most he ever did was ride around in a golf cart at White Deer. He didn’t play golf in high school at all — his sports were basketball and soccer for the Spartans. As for swinging golf clubs? Maybe a handful of times in Phys. Ed. class in high school, but that was it.

The game of golf itself was never really one he had an interest in, but like most walks of life, you never know where it’s going to take you.

Fast forward 20 years later, and Crawley is now not only a certified PGA Professional, but does work in Iowa to use golf as a therapeutic resource for fellow military veterans after they’ve served.

“It’s always nice to give soldiers something to do besides going off post and getting in trouble or doing something they shouldn’t,” Crawley said. “Especially Fort Riley (in Kansas) and in Germany, when guys came back from deployment from Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, we got them back into the game and have tournaments and get them back onto the course and have fun.”

Crawley, a 1990 Hughesville graduate, was awarded the Iowa PGA Patriot Award in late October. The award is presented to the Iowa PGA Professional who personified patriotism through the game of golf and demonstrated unwavering commitment and dedication to the men and women who valiantly served and protected the United States of America, according to the Iowa PGA Section.

“It’s humbling. All the work that I’ve put in working with military and working in the army golf program and helping serve soldiers and veterans, and just giving back to the guys that served,” Crawley said. “I was one of them, I wanted to give back to them.”

Crawley had served for 28 years between being a soldier and with the Department of the Army Civilian. He had two years in the army reserves and nine years as an active duty soldier.

It wasn’t until 2001 that Crawley got involved in golf when he worked in Germany alongside a golf pro named Rick Glenn in Daumholder. The two worked with soliders and Crawley worked his way up from the maintenance crew with Glenn, who was a PGA Pro. It was from working with Glenn that Crawley then wanted to try to become a PGA Pro himself and go through the process.

Crawley had to take a 36-hole test and go through hundreds of class assignments over a certain period of time with check points to eventually get through to become a PGA Pro. Crawley currently lives and works in Betterndorf, Iowa, which is part of the quad-city area in Iowa, and has lived there for roughly two years and is preparing for his third year as a golf professional.

“Especially now, I’m trying to get more kids involved in the game, trying to grow the game,” Crawley said. “We got a lot of great people out here that have a lot of experience and help out. I volunteer within Iowa Section PGA doing thing (such as) rules official. … Great opportunities to see a lot of things and play a lot and do a lot.”

Crawley began working in the US Army Golf Program in 2001, where he held different positions so he could work with soldiers golfing during their downtime.

When Crawley then left Germany in 2006, he took a job working at the US Army Golf Course in Fort Riley, Kansas, and also did work with PGA HOPE.

PGA HOPE — which stands for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere — is a structured golf format to try to get soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors work with the veterans administration and VA hospital to get disabled veterans on the golf course and give them instruction on how to play golf, according to Crawley.

Crawley also worked and took classes with another PGA professional who worked specifically with disabilities to help teach golfers who are blind, deaf or amputees.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today