SAN DIEGO — Joel Dahmen calls himself a “SEAL junkie.” He’s not talking about marine life. “Anytime there was a documentary out or any of those movies like ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ l love watching those,” he says. “I was obsessed, because tthose guys are the baddest dudes on the planet Earth.”

Dahmen was speaking, of course, of the U.S. Navy SEALs, the elite group of warriors who go on secret and extremely dangerous missions in some of the toughest environments in the world.

It is one thing, however, to watch those movies on the comfort on your couch, it’s another to stand next to those men and attempt to endure even a few hours of what they go through. Tiger Woods secretly went through some SEAL training in the mid-2010s, and the same man who hooked him up was Dahmen’s guide when the popular 37-year-old PGA Tour player accepted a challenge from his performance coach, Chris Bertram.

Last October, Dahmen came to the SEALs’ Coronado training center in San Diego and spent an exhilarating and exhausting 48 hours being put through some of the rigors of their training, alongside his caddie, Geno Bonnalie.

After a third-round 70 on Friday on the Torrey Pines South Course put him tied for fourth heading into the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, Dahmen called the experience “eye-opening” and “awesome.” But he also admitted with a grin, “Honestly, had I known how miserable I’d be at times, I probably would not have done it,

“But that’s what makes you stronger, and you realize there’s always more in you.”

With a dry sense of humor, easy-going style, and the guts to wear a bucket hat as a professional athlete, Dahmen doesn’t seem like the prime candidate to run with the SEALs. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” he said. “I assumed it would be tough, but it was even tougher than I thought. I don’t necessarily love water, number one, and I don’t like being cold.”

Did he check the SEALs’ resumes? Much of their training in spent in the ocean, and the Pacific Ocean in San Diego in October dips into the low 60s. With only a mask and fins, Dahmen had to run on the beach, swim a loop around a pier, run some more, and then swim to bouy several hundred yards away and back.

“I don’t mind being on the beach, but I don’t like sharks and I really don’t like being in the open water,” Dahmen said. “I wasn’t going to drown, but it’s cold and there are scary things in that water.

“It’s amazing what the cold water does to you, and it teaches you the lessons in just being uncomfortable.”

Away from the beach, there numerous cold plunges and more water work in a pool, where Dahmen was required to dive 20 feet to the bottom with no help from fins. “It’s a long way down, so it’s a mental barrier to even get down there. It probably took me 30 times to get to the bottom,” Dahmen said.

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Joel Dahmen and caddie Geno Bonnalie during the third round of the Farmers Open.

Orlando Ramirez

Bonnalie, who is not only Dahmen’s caddie but one of his best friends, was there nearly every stroke with him. “He’s unbelievable. There’s not that many caddies who would do that,” Dahmen said.

The point of all the pain for Dahmen was to hopefully gain something mentally to carry into his golf and life. He believes that was a success, counting things like doing chores quicker around the house to having more patience on the course.

“You never know what you’re capable of until you try things, right?” he said. “So, I think it’s easy to be super comfortable out here. This is my ninth year on tour and you kind of just cruise on by, and life is good. You can make a couple bucks, and you travel, and you have a grand old time.

“But unless you’re challenging yourself all the time and trying to tap into something greater, how great can you be? And how do you know? You can go hit all the golf balls you want, you can do all the practicing you want, but there’s always gonna be something that’s untapped.”

The box has been checked on the bucket list for the guy in the bucket hat.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com