Celebrating Memorial Day

May 26, 2014

We are humbled everyday, but today on Memorial Day, we pause to pay tribute to those who have served in the U.S. Army,  Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and  Coast Guard and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Flags fly, parades march and speeches commemorate and we take a full day to remember.

We hope you enjoy your Memorial Day with loved ones, and if you play golf, consider the following courses, all with military ties.

Marine Memorial Golf Course (Pendleton, Calif.)

Golf is often a key component in the recreational facilities at military bases. For example, there is the Marine Memorial Golf Course at Camp Pendleton, Calif.  Designed by William P. “Billy” Bell, this solid layout is set in a secluded area with many rolling fairways abutting natural areas.

The Golf Club at Manson Ridge (Monroe, N.Y.)

On campus at the oldest of five service academies, the Army’s United States Military Academy in West Point, New York (1802), you’ll find a number of monuments and memorials including the Cadet Monument (1818) and the Flight Memorial (1992) along with The West Point Golf Course designed by Robert Trent Jones.

The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge less than a half hour away in Monroe was designed by Jack Nicklaus who retained the hilly, rocky features of the terrain. Here you’ll find stonewalls, wetlands great views of the countryside, and tall stands of trees.

Old Hickory Golf Club (Washington, D.C.)

The greatest treasure trove in military memorials, Washington D.C., has monuments on just about every block. Visit the D.C. War Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, the Navy Memorial, Tomb of the Unknowns, and the new National World War II Memorial west of the Washington Monument where freestanding arches represent the states.Nearby in Arlington, Va, overlooking the Pentagon, the Air Force Memorial symbolizes flight and the flying spirit while The United States Marine Corps War Memorial is located in Arlington Ridge Park.

You can do some of your own flying maneuvers at Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, Va. This semi-private club evokes a sense of the well-heeled set serenely in horse country where long white board fences, meadows and grazing horses set the scene.

Whendesigning this course, Tim Freeland worked with Gary Player in routing the course gently over the land through tall stands of pine, oak, maple, and hickory to create one of the prettiest parkland-style tracks in Prince William County. Bent grass fairways and lightning-fast greens are meticulously maintained in spite of the fact this course gets a lot of play.

King’s Grant Golf & Country Club (Fayetteville, N.C.)

Fayetteville, N.C., home of the Army’s Airborne and Special Operations Forces at Fort Bragg, is the site for “Bronze Bruce” (Special Warfare Memorial Statue) created in 1968 to honor Special Forces who served in Vietnam.  Nearby is the splendid Airborne and Special Operations Museum.

Fayetteville is close enough to Pinehurst to treat golfers to the same rolling fairways and soft white native sand but is way more affordable. Fort Bragg has its own two courses -The Ryder and the Stryker – a historic layout designed by Donald Ross. But one of the best plays in the area is King’s Grant Golf & Country Club that challenges you with many elevation changes and target tests. With Bent grass greens, strategically placed bunkers, and lovely natural areas including two cypress lakes, King’s Grant grabs and holds your attention.

Georgia Veterans State Park (Cordele, Ga.)

One of the key attractions in Cordele, Ga.is the Georgia Veterans State Park, established as a memorial to U.S. veterans. Here you can see all sorts of intriguing items related to the armed services including armored vehicles, weapons, aircraft and items from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War.

After getting your memorabilia fix, tee up at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Golf Course that runs along the shores of Lake Blackshear. Characterized by large Dwarf Bermuda greens, wide Tif 419 fairways, mounds and loblolly pines, it’s a great play for all levels.