Trucking Golfer
Because Playing is Living
Who am I?
Hi, my name is Dale and I am a golfer and a trucker. Sounds more like an opening line you would use at an AA meeting. I'm 56 years old, I live in the West Midlands with my beautiful wife Jackie. I have 3 adult children, Jonathan, Natalie and Sophie, they are all grown up and flown the nest now, I also have 2 grandchildren, Violet and Leo, they are the ones that keep me young.
My Introduction to Golf
I was born and raised in Nottingham, I spent most of my childhood, like most kids in the 70's, outside playing games, my hobbies were mostly football and fishing. I think the first time I came across anything golf related was during a visit to my auntie's house.
My cousin was an avid golfer, I remember his red Wilson tour bag standing in the hallway and he asked me if I ever played, of which I replied 'No, I thought golf was only for the rich folk'. Funny how the game had that impression on me back then but growing up in Nottingham, with one of the best teams in the country, football was my passion.
My next experience with golf was at a local pitch and putt par 3 course. I was probably 18 years of age, I had a job working for the hosiery trade, two of my friends asked if I wanted to play golf, why not I thought, it was a beautiful, sunny day, one of my friends had just passed his driving test, brought his first car so we set off to the par 3 course.
Golfing tragedy
I can remember having a really great game, I had no golf shoes or glove, just a wedge and a putter, I beat both of them, they suggested I take the game up, great I thought, football, fishing and now golf.
We agreed to go again the following week, that was when the tragedy happened. We set off in my friends new car, he positioned himself correctly at a traffic light junction, I was sat in the front passenger seat, as the lights changed, my friend started to make his turn right, all I can remember was seeing a brown car heading straight for us.
The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital with a pain in my head and shoulder, it transpired an old gentleman driving a brown Austin Maxi, jumped the lights and hit my friends car on the passenger side, exactly where I was sat.
During my recovery, my friends told me exactly what happened, after the car hit us clean across the junction, I was knocked unconscious, with my head back and my tongue down my throat, one of my friends told me I wasn't breathing, luckily the accident happened a stones throw away from the City hospital.
A nurse, who was just starting her shift, got off the bus and rushed over to help, she could see I wasn't in a good way, she tilted my head forward and pulled my tongue out, saving my life, to this day I never knew who my saviour was but each time I pass the junction I still think about that day and how lucky I am to still be alive. I took to playing football when I made a full recovery, Saturday & Sunday league.
My Father
My father was my hero, my best friend, someone that I always aspired to be like when I was growing up. He was a proud, generous, hard working family man, the kind of person that would give you his last penny.
After suffering a mental breakdown he unfortunately took his own life, but before he died he told me, "whatever you want to do in life, don't let anything stop you", these words have resonated with me my whole life and I've tried to live up to the values and standards my father instilled in me.
My father passed away in Sept 1988, ten months later in the summer of 1989 I joined the Army, something I had always wanted to do since leaving school. I'm not from a military background, although my father did spend several years with the Merchant Navy.
After leaving school I started work, it was there that I met a very good friend who introduced me to the Territorial Army, where I spent 4 years preparing myself to eventually join full time with the Army, it was only after the death of my father and remembering his words that pushed me to take my Oath of Allegiance as a Regular soldier.
My Army Career
Aldershot, Buller Barracks, home of the Royal Corps of Transport, basic training. April 1989 with 9 weeks of share bliss. I had never been away from home for so long but during my time not once did I feel home sick, I felt at home, I revelled in everything basic training threw at me, I just wished it was longer than 9 weeks.
It was then onto Leconfield to complete my Combat Driving phase, a few weeks there then back to Aldershot Holding Troop to await my first posting.
Germany, 1 Armoured Division Transport Regiment, here I showed them my football talent and made it into the Regimental football team, it was quite a while before I touched a golf club again.
1994, my first tour of duty, Northern Ireland, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to hit a few balls with his driver, I had never held, let alone hit a driver before, my friend said he would give me my first introduction to the driver.
So off we went to the football pitch, he hit a few drives that made it past the pitch towards the wall that separated the camp from the motorway, he then handed me the driver, my first ever drive hit the high point of the wall, my second flew over the wall onto the motorway, we looked at each other and ran to our rooms laughing, he also told me I should take up playing golf.
My Sergeant Major was a real golf fanatic, he asked one day if I ever played, I told him I had one game of pitch & putt, "Right", he said, "Get some clubs from the sports store, we are going to play 18 holes at the local golf club". Carnalea GC, on the coast of Northern Ireland, between Holywood and Bangor, one of the most picturesque courses I've ever played.
I only had with me a pair of black shoes, an old glove I found in the bag, a few balls, some tees and a set of mixed clubs. I can still remember knocking my first tee shot down the fairway as I turned to my Sergeant Major, he looked at me and said, "Thompson, are you lying to me, you have never played golf before", I explained I had only played pitch and putt, once again he told me to take up the game.
Throughout the whole game I could feel the grip the game was having on me but still I couldn't force myself away from football. I've played with some pretty special football teams throughout my Army career, won trophies and titles but it wasn't until I was posted to Germany that my sporting preference changed.
I sustained a bad knee injury that caused me to have key hole surgery, the specialist told me to hang my boots up and find another sport. So after months of rehabilitation getting back to full fitness, I took up golf as my main sport.
I purchased my first set of custom fit irons, Titleist DCI 822OS. Now the great thing about being in the Military is wherever you're posted in the world, there is guaranteed to be a golf course near by and in Germany there are hundreds of courses.
My Golfing Addiction
I became obsessed with the game, I know this because my wife told me so, even though I refuted the claim, deep down all I wanted to do was get out on the course, the driving range, on the local football pitch, anywhere that was green and I could swing a club I'd be there. My family and I spent a total of 10 years in Germany.
Being in the Military you are guaranteed, that whatever camp you are posted to, there is a golf course right on the door step, normally a British Army GC, this was the case for me.
British Army Hohne GC is located in the Lower Saxony area of Germany, it was here my handicap came down to single figure, I also achieved my first ever Hole in 1. I was playing almost every day, especially the summer time. In 2011 I applied for redundancy from the Army and finished my final year in Nuneaton, I had completed 23 years 288 days.
It was now time for me to think about my future and what resettlement course I wanted to do, I already had a few instructional courses under my belt that I achieved in the Army so I applied for the EGTF Golf Teachers course.
After a full week of intensive teaching I got my Diploma to teach golf. Achieving the position of golf professional in the UK is very difficult, this became evident when I had my first ever interview, unfortunately I didn't get the position due to lack of teaching experience, so after taking a month off looking and applying for a Golf Pro job I fell back on the one thing I was good at, trucking.
I landed a few agency jobs, then I was offered a driving position with XPO Logistics, now know as GXO Logistics, I've been with them now for over 10 years. I have given the odd lesson to friends but I mainly give advice, when asked, to the guys I play golf with.
I've also repaired and re-gripped clubs for many of my friends yet in my heart I would still like to teach golf at a professional level.
Trucking Golf
My site is designed to reach out to all those who think that being stuck in their hum drum of life is all that there is. That is not true! I am hoping that you will join me on this journey, where we are guaranteed a few laughs, lots of tips, links to equipment, attire, cab gadgets and more. But most of all a reminder that you can always reach for your dreams and achieve your aspirations and goals. So remember this, "Whatever you want to do in life, don’t let anything stop you"!!!
