While coming in to work this morning, I heard the story of the Kabul Golf Club. My first impressions were related to the wasted money Americans are spending to revitalize Afghanistan. However, as I listened on, I discovered the story of one man’s dream.

It turns out that Mohammed Afzal remembers the days when diplomats and other dignitaries used to go to the club for social events and fun. Now, 25 years later, he moved back to Afghanistan from Pakistan where he gave up his job to rebuild the golf course. He dreams of Harmad Karzai and even Tiger Woods making a visit to the course.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of Afzal’s dream, the course currently has no grass. It was destroyed by the Soviets when they invaded in the seventies. When the Soviets retreated, the course was open depending on the local warlord in power, but the Taliban, once in control, saw no use for a golf course, so they left it abandoned.

For $50, you can play the course with the pro while he provides instruction. The old pro shop is a bombed out building, but he has a rusting locker that holds the rental equipment. First, he hopes to raise money for grass, then he may think about the buildings and such. In any case, I imagine that he is quite happy to live his dream after spending a quarter of a century waiting.