The Touhill Open, golf comes indoors at USTRANSCOM

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – The phrase “If you build it, they will come,” was once again proven true, Feb. 25, only this time the sport was not baseball, but golf, of the miniature, putt-putt kind. 

More than 20 duffers, many argyle-clad, some garishly, stalked the halls and work areas of the U.S. Transportation Command’s Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems directorate (J6).  They chipped, putted and occasionally whiffed their way through the Touhill Open, named for their boss, Brig. Gen. Gregory Touhill.

According to a loudly-dressed, course official Navy Cmdr. Shawn Murphy, the idea came from a similar event held at Touhill’s previous command. 

“The idea behind The Touhill Open is to bring personnel together for a fun, team-building event,” Murphy said. “Each division or office within J6 was assigned to build two holes and provide a ‘putter-like’ club for each golfer to use.  Club designs ranged from telephone handsets and toilet plungers to croquet mallets.”

According to Murphy, division and office reps used their technical skills to create an 18-hole, putt-putt championship course in less than 24 hours.

“On several holes, builders used J6 tools of the trade,” Murphy said, “such as keyboards and telephones to build parts of the course or introduced ‘hazards,’ using extra-sticky carpet tape to increase the level of difficulty.  Especially noteworthy were clever uses of shredded paper, several variations of the Price is Right game Plinko, and toilet paper rolls.

“With a staff of more than 400 people,” Murphy added, “this event has proven itself as a way to get folks out and about within Building 1961 to meet their counterparts, open up lines of communications within the directorate, and get a little exercise in the process.”

While very few of the staff actually played in the event, many benefitted from the amusement provided by the participants.  The chance to see a fellow worker in lavender argyle socks and matching shirt, putting with a croquet mallet at a bowling pin--now that’s entertainment. 

-USTRANSCOM-