Green Zones: A Map of the US Military’s Golf Courses

From California to the Korean DMZ, the Pentagon runs nearly 200 golf courses.

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By Eric Wuestewald and AJ Vicens

The United States military is undeniably massive. In 2012, the Pentagon spent 4.4 percent of our GDP on defense, with hundreds of billions going to contractors for assorted weapons, equipment, and essentials.

What is not known is exactly how much money funds the military’s international golf habit. Mother Jones has found that the Pentagon currently operates at least 194 golf courses and 2,874 holes of golf worldwide. Hover over any flag to tee up more information about the location, name, and size of these courses.

Source: See all data

Nearly all of the military golf courses are on US bases. Unsurprisingly, most are in the United States. However, greens can also be found throughout the Middle East, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. They somewhat coincide with strategic military locations, leaving states like Florida, Hawaii, and Virginia and countries like Germany and Japan covered with flags. The military’s Morale, Warfare, and Recreation and Marine Corps Community Services programs, which run the courses (as well as library programs, youth programs, fitness centers, and bowling alleys), say they are designed to maintain troop morale and combat readiness during stressful situations or down time.

According to MWR officials, military golf courses must “generally” be self-supporting; however, they are quite expensive to run. As journalist Nick Turse pointed out in 2008, fairways and greens regularly need refurbishing. The US Golf Association estimates a standard 18-hole course can cost around $384,000 to $636,000 a year in maintenance fees. (Building a golf course can cost $1.6 to $4.5 million.) Just last year, the Pelican Bay Golf Course at Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base shut down after running a $270,000 average annual deficit since 2006.

The quality of military golf courses can differ dramatically, ranging from the sprawling 54-hole championship complex outside Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC, to a couple of holes plopped in the highlands of Mosul, Iraq. The terrain is further varied. The military operates its golf courses in volcanoes, surrounded by landmines, and just outside the notorious detention center in Guantanamo Bay. It also boasts the “World’s Most Dangerous Golf Course“—a single par 3 just below the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

Estimates of the total number of courses vary. In 1975, Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire called out the Pentagon for spending $14 million a year to maintain 300 courses. Today, the most commonly reported number of courses is 234, but a thorough search turned up 194.

For more information, check out our list of military golf courses below. If you know of a course that’s not here, leave a comment.

base location course courses holes branch
Fort Rucker Alabama Silver Wings 3 27 Army
Redstone Arsenal Alabama Links at Redstone 2 36 Army
Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama Cypress Tree 2 36 Air Force
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaksa Moose Run Hill and Creek 2 36 Air Force, Army
Fort Wainwright Alaska Chena Bend 1 18 Army
Fort Huachuca Arizona Mountain View 1 18 Army
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Arizona Blanchard Course 1 18 Air Force
Luke Air Force Base Arizona Falcon Dunes 1 18 Air Force
Pine Bluff Arsenal Arkansas Pine Haven 1 9 Army
Little Rock Air Force Base Arkansas Deer Run 1 18 Air Force
Naval Air Station North Island California Sea ‘n’ Air 1 18 Navy
Naval Base San Diego California Admiral Baker 2 18 Navy
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach California Navy Golf Course 2 27 Navy
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake California China Lake Golf Course 1 18 Navy
Naval Base Ventura County at Port Hueneme California Seabee 1 18 Navy
Naval Support Activity Monterey California Monterey Pines 1 18 Navy
Beale Air Force Base California Coyote Run 1 18 Air Force
Edwards Air Force Base California Muroc Lake 1 18 Air Force
Travis Air Force Base California Cypress Lake 1 18 Air Force
Vandenberg Air Force Base California Marshallia Ranch Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms California Desert Winds 1 18 Marines
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow California Tees N Trees 1 9 Marines
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar California MCAS Miramar Golf Course 1 18 Marines
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton California Marine Memorial Golf Course 1 18 Marines
Fort Carson Colorado Cheyenne Shadows 1 18 Army
United States Air Force Academy Colorado Eisenhower Golf Club 2 18 Air Force
Peterson Air Force Base Colorado Silver Spruce Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Naval Submarine Base New London Connecticut Goose Run 1 9 Navy
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Cuba Lateral Hazards 1 18 All
Andrews Air Force Base D.C. East, South, and North 3 54 Air Force
Dover Air Force Base Delaware Eagle Creek 1 18 Air Force
Royal Air Force Lakenheath England Breckland Pines 1 9 Air Force
Naval Air Station Penscaloa Florida A.C. Read 3 27 Navy
Naval Air Station Whiting Field Florida Whiting Field Golf course 1 18 Navy
Naval Station Mayport Florida Windy Harbor Golf Club 1 18 Navy
Naval Air Station Jacksonville Florida Jackonsville Golf Club 1 9 Navy
Eglin Air Force Base Florida Eglin Golf Course 2 36 Air Force
Hurlburt Field Florida Gator Lakes 1 18 Air Force
MacDill Air Force Base Florida Bay Palms Golf Complex 2 18 Air Force
Patrick Air Force Base Florida Manatee Cove 1 18 Air Force
Fort Benning Georgia The Bradley, The Marshall, and The Patton 3 27 Army
Fort Gordon Georgia Gordon Lakes Golf Club 3 9 Army
Fort McPherson-GIllem Georgia Fort McPherson Golf Course 1 18 Army
Fort Stewart Georgia Taylor’s Creek 1 18 Army
Hunter Army Air Field Georgia Hunter Golf Club 1 18 Air Force
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Georgia Trident Lakes 1 18 Navy
Moody Air Force Base Georgia Quiet Pines 1 9 Air Force
Robins Air Force Base Georgia Pine Oaks 1 18 Air Force
United States Army Garrison Bamberg Germany Whispering Pines 1 9 Army
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort Germany Alpental 1 18 Army
Garrison Heidelberg Germany Heidelberg Golf Club 1 18 Army
Garrison Stuttgart Germany Stuttgart Golf Course 1 18 Army
Garrison Wiesbaden Germany Rheinblick Golf Course 1 18 Army
Ramstein Air Base Germany Woodlawn 1 18 Air Force
Spangdahlem Air Base Germany Eifel Mountain 1 18 Air Force
Andersen Air Force Base Guam Palm Tree Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Fort Shafter and Schofield Barracks Hawaii Leilehua and Walter J. Nagorski 2 27 Army
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Hawaii Ke’alohi and Mamala 3 45 Air Force, Navy
Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay Hawaii Kaneohe Klipper 1 18 Marines
Mountain Home Air Force Base Idaho Silver Sage Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Naval Station Great Lakes Illinois Willow Glen 1 18 Navy
Scott Air Force Base Illinois Cardinal Creek 1 18 Air Force
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Indiana Eagle View 1 18 Navy
Mosul Iraq Al-Kindi 1 2 Army
Naval Support Activity Naples Italy Carney Park 1 9 Navy
Aviano Air Force Base Italy Alpine 1 9 Air Force
Camp Zama Japan Camp Zama 1 18 Army
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Japan 1 18 Marines
Naval Air Facility Atsugi Japan Atsugi Golf Course 1 18 Navy
Misawa Air Base Japan Gosser Memorial 1 18 Air Force
Yokota Air Base Japan Tama Hills 1 18 Air Force
Kadena Air Force Base Japan Banyan Tree Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Marine Corps Community Services Okinawa Japan Taiyo 1 18 Marines
Fort Leavenworth Kansas Trails West 1 18 Army
Fort Riley Kansas Custer HIll 1 18 Army
Fort Campbell Kentucky Cole Park 1 18 Army
Fort Knox Kentucky Lindsey Golf Course 1 18 Army
Fort Polk Louisiana Warrior Hills Golf Course 1 18 Army
Barksdale Air Force Base Louisiana Fox Run 1 18 Air Force
United States Naval Academy Maryland Naval Academy Golf Club 1 18 Navy
Naval Air Station Patuxent River Maryland Cedar Point 1 18 Navy
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Maryland Naval Surface Warefare Center Golf Course 1 18 Navy
Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland Ruggles 1 18 Army
Hanscom Air Force Base Massachusetts Patriot Golf Course 1 9 Air Force
United States Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod Massachusetts Falcon 1 9 Coast Guard
Selfridge Air National Guard Base Michigan Selfridge Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Naval Air Station Meridian Mississippi Ponta Creek 1 18 Navy
Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi Whispering Pines 1 9 Air Force
Keesler Air Force Base Mississippi Bay Breeze 1 18 Air Force
Fort Leonard Wood Missouri Piney Valley 1 18 Army
Whiteman Air Force Base Missouri Royal Oaks 1 18 Air Force
Offutt Air Force Base Nebraska Willow Lakes 1 18 Air Force
Nellis Air Force Base Nevada Sunrise Vista 1 18 Air Force
Joint Base McGuire-Fort Dix-Lakehurst New Jersey Fountain Green, Falcon Creek, and Pine Ridge 3 45 Air Force, Army, Navy
Picatinny Arsenal New Jersey Picatinny Golf Course 1 18 Army
White Sands Missile Range New Mexico White Sands 1 9 Army
Cannon Air Force Base New Mexico Whispering Winds 1 18 Air Force
Kirtland Air Force Base New Mexico Tijeras Arroyo 1 18 Air Force
Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico Apache Mesa 1 9 Air Force
United States Military Academy West Point New York West Point Golf Course 1 18 Army
Fort Bragg North Carolina Ryder and Stryker 2 36 Army
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base North Carolina Three Eagles 1 18 Air Force
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune North Carolina Paradise Point Scarlet and Gold 2 36 Marines
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point North Carolina Sound of Freedom 1 18 Marines
Pope Air Force Base North Carolina Willow Lakes 1 18 Air Force
Grand Forks Air Force Base North Dakota Plainsview 1 9 Air Force
Minot Air Force Base North Dakota Rough Rider 1 9 Air Force
Defense Supply Center Columbus Ohio Eagle Eye 1 9 Army
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio Prairie Trace and Twin Base 3 45 Air Force
Fort Sill Oklahoma Fort Sill 1 18 Army
Altus Air Force Base Oklahoma Windy Trails 1 18 Air Force
Tinker Air Force Base Oklahoma Tinker Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Carlisle Barracks Pennsylvania Carlisle Barracks Golf Course 1 18 Army
Fort Buchanan Puerto Rico Fort Buchanan Golf Club 1 9 Army
Arizona Golf Resort Saudi Arabia 1 9 Army
Fort Jackson South Carolina Wildcat and Hickory 2 36 Army
Joint Base Charleston South Carolina Redbank Plantation and Wrenwoods 2 36 Air Force, Navy
Shaw Air Force Base South Carolina Carolina Lakes 1 18 Air Force
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island South Carolina The Legends Golf Course 1 18 Marines
Ellsworth Air Force Base South Dakota Prarie Ridge 1 9 Air Force
Camp Walker South Korea 1 9 Army
Camp Red Cloud South Korea 1 9 Army
Camp Casey South Korea 1 9 Army
Yongsam South Korea Sung Nam Golf Club 1 18 Army
Camp Bonifas South Korea 1 1 Army
Kunsan Air Base South Korea West Winds 1 9 Air Force
Osan Air Base South Korea The Lakes 1 18 Air Force
Naval Station Rota Spain Captain Jack Dennis Memorial 1 18 Navy
Naval Support Activity Mid-south Tennessee Glen Eagles 1 18 Navy
Arnold Air Force Base Tennessee Arnold Golf course 1 9 Air Force
Fort Bliss Texas Underwood Golf complex, Sunrise and Sunset Courses 2 36 Army
Fort Hood Texas Armadillo Hill, Deer Run, and Panther Claw 3 27 Army
Fort Sam Houston Texas The La Loma and Salado Del Rio 2 36 Army
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi Texas Gulf Winds 1 18 Navy
Dyess Air Force Base Texas Mesquite Grove 1 18 Air Force
Lackland Air Force Base Texas Gateway Hills 1 18 Air Force
Laughlin Air Force Base Texas Leaning Pine 1 9 Air Force
Randolph Air Force Base Texas Randolph Oaks Golf Course 1 18 Air Force
Sheppard Air Force Base Texas Wind Creek 1 18 Air Force
Incirlik Air Force Base Turkey Hodja Lakes Golf Course 1 9 Air Force
Dugway Proving Ground Utah 1 9 Army
Hill Air Force Base Utah Hubbard Memorial Course 1 18 Air Force
Fort Belvoir Virginia Woodlawn and Gunston 2 18 Army
Fort Lee Virginia The Cardinal 3 27 Army
Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Hornet and Tomcat 2 18 Navy
Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story Virginia Eagle Haven 1 18 Navy
Naval Station Norfolk Virginia Sewell’s Point 1 18 Navy
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown – Cheatham Annex Virginia Deer Cove 1 18 Navy
Joint Base Langley-Eustis Virginia The Pines and Eaglewood 3 45 Air Force, Army
Marine Corps Base Quantico Virginia Medal of Honor 1 18 Marines
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Washington NAS Whidbey Gallery Golf Course 1 18 Navy
Joint Base Lewis-McChord Washington Eagle’s Pride and Whispering Firs 3 45 Air Force, Army
F.E. Warren Air Force Base Wyoming Warren Golf Course 1 18 Air Force

Eric Wuestewald is an editorial fellow at Mother Jones. You can follow him @eric_wuest. RSS |

AJ Vicens is the Interactives/Data Fellow at Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here. RSS |

Copyright Mother Jones, 2014

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/pentagon-military-golf-courses-map


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