For the most part, professional golfers lead cushy lives. They play golf for a living, get lots of perks, make money most of us couldn’t dream of, and are quite insulated from the “real world.’’

At the same time, no profession gives back more to charity and their fans, and occasionally it even goes beyond that. Take a group of golf guys who recently banded together and made a USO-sponsored trip on Thanksgiving to war-ravaged Iraq.

Dubbed “Operation Links,’’ the group was headed by PGA Tour player Frank Lickliter, and included Corey Pavin, Jerry Kelly, Donnie Hammond and Scottsdale’s Howard Twitty, along with former long-drive world champions Art Sellinger and Brian Pavlet of Litchfield Park.

I was unable to reach Twitty, but Pavlet had a lot to say about their eight-day trip aimed at cheering up the troops over the holiday.

“We never really experienced the war part of it. We only flew over it,’’ said Pavlet, who grew up in Fountain Hills and played high school sports in Scottsdale before developing his long-drive talents.

“Basically, we flew to Kuwait by jet on Nov. 20, and then visited 11 bases via Black Hawk helicopters until Nov. 28. It was so desolate, with dirt and sand wherever you looked. I don’t think I saw a blade of grass the entire trip. Not one.’’

The big message that Pavlet brought back was, as bad as it is over there, our troops are hanging tough, determined to complete their mission while fighting off the insurgency as well as the elements, as rainy season approaches.

“They were some of the most amazing men and women I’ve ever met,’’ Pavlet said. “Over and over, they told us that, no matter how and why we got here, they have to finish the job.’’

You would think that dodging bullets and land mines would be quite scary, even depressing. Not so, Pavlet countered.

“The guys and gals we met were upbeat, and so grateful we were there to provide some entertainment for them. They kept thanking us, which was so humbling, because, if anything, we should be thanking them.’’

Cobra Golf sent a sizeable amount of equipment overt to Iraq for the players’ tour, Pavlet said, and Pinnacle supplied several thousand golf balls. That made for nonstop lessons and demos, with Pavlet’s big drives and trick shots offering much needed relief.

“We got to visit one of Saddam’s palaces, and that was one of the coolest parts of the trip,’’ he said. “In fact, I hit a bunch of balls for the guys right from the back porch of the palace, most of them ending up in one of the many lakes Saddam had on the premises.’’

What was Hussien’s palace like? “So opulent you couldn’t even imagine,’’ Pavlet noted. “You could call it ornate or gaudy or enormously large. Take you pick.

“Mostly it was all about Saddam. The guy had an ego, as there were pictures and paintings and murals of him literally everywhere.’’

Another launching pad for Pavlet was the army’s M-1 tanks.

“Oh, the troops loved that one, and we also belted some off the wings of an Iraqi mig jet,’’ he said. “We even hit some balls from Iraq into Turkey, and they got a kick out of that, too.’’

And while it was light-hearted most of the time for the visiting pros, there also was a bit of seriousness to the venture. When you have to wear bullet-proof vests and helmets wherever you go, the war is a constant reminder.

“Mostly it was meeting and greeting, but the thing we found out was that the troops really love to talk golf,’’ Pavlet said. “Golf and football, what’s going on at home, and food – don’t forget food! – that was what was on their minds. We’d stay up with them until 2 in the morning almost every night, just hanging out and talking.’’

The most serious moment of their week in Iraq came right at the end, when they were preparing to fly back home.

“We were leaving Camp Anaconda outside of Bagdad, an enormous fort that is 25 miles square, and as we were about to board our C-130 (aircraft) they told us we would be escorting back a fallen shoulder in our plane.

“Man, it brought the reality of the war right back into it.’’