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Bluesuiters Golf Tournament builds community partnership

  • Published
  • By Mauricio Campino
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Team Dover Airmen met up with local civic and business leaders to play in the Bluesuiters Golf Tournament Sept. 19, 2018, at the Eagle Creek Golf Course on Dover AFB.

Bluesuiters is a biannual golf tournament aimed at building and maintaining good relations between the base and the community.

Seventy-two Team Dover Airmen and local civilians participated in the tournament. The fall tournament is held at the Eagle Creek Golf Course on Dover AFB and the spring tournament is held at the Jonathan’s Landing Golf Course in Magnolia, Del. The tournament also features raffles, door prizes and a lunch at the golf clubhouse.

“It’s a great way to connect with the community … you can’t beat a great day playing golf,” said Airman 1st Class Connor McKenna, 436th Maintenance Squadron crew chief.

Two Airmen are paired up with two local civic and business leaders for 18 holes of golf. The teams play in a scramble tournament, which allows each member to tee off the ball and then the entire team plays from the best position. Each player contributes their own strengths for the benefit of the team.

For this tournament, special challenges were added to some of the holes on the course. Golfers had to tee off wearing an explosive ordnance disposal bomb suit, a firefighter’s bunker coat and a tactical load bearing vest with body armor.

“I wish we could do it once a month,” said Greg Newman, a Dover AFB Honorary Commander Alumni, who has played in nine Bluesuiters tournaments.