By BRUCE VITTNER
The military doesn’t locate its bases in too many poor locations. Also, for the
most part, the military has done a very good job of building golf courses for
the use of their members and former members.
Many retired members of the military relocate to warmer climates. Thousands of
“snowbirds” from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut travel south for
the winter, only returning when the greens are green again. Two hundred and
twenty five thousand military retirees live within a thirty-mile radius of
Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Having played hundreds of rounds at the course at Otis ANGB on Cape Cod and
enjoying the low rates and fine conditions, I thought it would be fun to visit
some of these southern golf courses that are so popular with folks who have a DD
Form 2, also known as a retiree’s ID card. On some of the military bases it is
not even necessary to be a retiree to play golf. Additionally, if one of the
foursome has an ID card, he or she is able to bring civilians to the courses.
Heading south on Route 95 when that white stuff starts to fall, those with an ID
in their golf bag can stop at Fort Meade outside of Baltimore on the first leg
of their southern golf journey. Ft. Meade has two courses that opened in the
1950s, and they are in top condition. Call 321-494-GOLF for information and tee
times. The course allows civilians at a higher rate. Twenty miles south on Route
95 is the course at Andrews AFB, just outside of Washington, D.C. Call the
course at 301-981-4405 for more info.
Fort Belvoir (703-806-5878) and Fort Lee (804-734-1228) are not far from Route
95 in Virginia, but I didn’t make either course because it was getting cold and
I wanted warm golf.
My next stop was Fort Bragg in North Carolina. It is only ten miles from Route
95 in Fayetteville. Having served there in the late 1960s and sneaking out from
training only a couple of times to play the two courses on base, it was fun to
go there almost 40 years later as a golf writer. The Stryker course is the
larger of the two courses and allows the public to play. Donald Ross designed
nine of the holes in 1946 and Robert Taylor did the other nine. “The Ryder
course started as the Officers Club in the 1930s and has many challenging holes
on hilly terrain,” said Jeff Johnson, PGA professional at the Stryker course.
Call 910-907-4653 for the Stryker course and 910-396-3980 for the Ryder course.
Fort Stewart is on the northern end of Georgia and 25 minutes from Rt. 95. They
have two courses and you can call Tom McArthur, PGA pro for both courses, at
912-767-2370. The course that I played in Georgia was Kings Bay Naval Submarine
Base in Kingsland. It is ten minutes from Exit 3 on Route 95, and it was a gem.
Two large ponds come into play on many holes with many risk/reward holes. The
conditioning was superb. Call Rick Hayes at 912-573-8476.
Florida was the destination for this story, but it was also fun getting there.
Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach was one of my favorites and also had the best
clubhouse with great food. The picture for this story was taken at the course
that also has a marina. It is the busiest golf course in the Air Force averaging
75,000 rounds per year. Many golfers literally get off their boats and walk over
to the first tee with their clubs. The Atlantic Ocean is across the street and
holes run along the intercoastal waterway. The 16th is the signature hole, a par
3 over water, but the sixth was the most difficult. Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
designed the course in 1960 and it was modified by Tom Fazio. Hurzdan and Fry
recently modified the greens with paspalum supreme grass that is receptive to
saltwater that often washes up on the course. Patrick AFB is 15 minutes from
Route 95 at Exit 191. The military rate is under $20, and is a great bargain.
Call 321-494-4653 to make tee times. If you tell them that you are traveling
from the north they will make every effort to accommodate you as they did us.
The story was going to have the headline ‘Golfing along route 95,’ but we
visited McDill AFB in Tampa on our trip south, and the two courses on the base
needed to be described. The Bay course was designed by noted Floridian Ron Garl
and seems like it plays right into Tampa Bay on a couple of holes, and the Palms
course was built in the 1940s by the civil engineers but is the equal of the Bay
course. Call Lou Harris at 813-840-6904.
We had to get back to New England to get the next issue of OSG on the street,
but we went back south to find more courses for the snowbirds to consider for
this issue. We visited Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi first. Hurricane
Katrina slammed Keesler in 2005 and the golf course was not spared. It is open
but needs a great deal of work. There is no charge to play as the course returns
to the conditions that it had since it was built in the 1940s. Call 228-377-3832
for the latest condition. Keesler is less than 100 miles from New Orleans. We
traveled through Alabama on Route 65 to get to Mississippi and saw many exits
for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail (We’ll save that for another trip and
story).
Heading east into Florida we stopped at Pensacola N.A.S., home of the Blue
Angels. The course originally opened in 1942. Later a par 60 executive course
was added to the property, and in 1993 a third nine holes were added. In 2003
U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate redesigned all 27 holes and the results are
outstanding. The nines (Lakeview, Bayou and Bayview) wind through live oaks and
over ponds and along marshes. All are quite equal in difficulty with large,
rolling Tifdwarf greens that are fast and true. The Executive course is an
excellent layout as well and was almost full when we visited. Make sure you see
the third hole on the Lakeview nine. It has a large marker displaying the Navy
wings in front of the green. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays you also get a free show
as the Blue Angels practice right overhead. Call Steve Bobe at 850-452-2454.
Our last stop was at Eglin AFB in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. There are two courses
(Falcon and Eagle—both nicknames for jet aircraft—that are run by the Air Force,
but they are located about five miles from the base. The Eagle Course was opened
in the early 1920s and has a rich history. It was purchased by a group of
“businessmen” from Chicago (including Al Capone) and was renamed the Chicago
Country Club of Valpariso. Florida was the winter hideaway for many from Chicago
and they wanted to have their own golf course. The course was sold to a private
owner in the 1930s and he donated it to the military in the 1940s. The second
course was added about 1990. Both courses offer large elevation changes that are
unusual in Florida. Make sure you take the elevation change into account when
hitting to the receptive greens that are large and fast. You can call the
courses at 850-882-2949.
Golfing on military bases will give you some of the best value you will ever get
in golf. Most of the courses would rate above average in conditioning and design
and way below average in price. The book Military Travel Guide is an excellent
source for finding courses and getting telephone numbers. You can get
information about the book at
www.militaryliving.com.
Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Assoc. of America and can be
reached at
bruce@oceantstategolfinc.com.
