Forces still "own" 19 golf courses!

[baffman]

The Sunday People is reporting that the armed forces still own 19 golf courses – four years after the Defence Secretary asked why they needed so many:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/mod-still-owns-19-golf-18823960

The story's lead illustration is captioned "RAF Lossiemouth Military Airfield has one of 19 golf courses owned by the MoD." Is there really such a golf course, or is this in fact one of the two courses belonging to Moray Golf Club, which happens to be near the end of the runway? I'm not a golfer!

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/810x539/0_golfing_beneath_the_approach_to_raf_lossiemouth_military_a irfield_e0db51f4c09397615a7af396555de4f73b5aeee7.jpg

[Timelord]

That is certainly Moray. It will come as a nasty shock to them to find out that they belong to RAF Lossiemouth.

[BEagle]

Does the number include the 'Royal and Ancient Ascension Island Golf Course'?

Largely volcanic rock which would both damage players' golf bats and cause balls to ricochet in unpredictable directions!

Probably a legacy of the time when only a few corgi carriers and helicopters flew there, but at RAF Benson there was a station course over on the western side of the aerodrome near the ATC tower. One day I flew over from RAF Abingdon with my student, to let him do some solo circuit consol. whilst I watched and drank coffee with the lovely ladies in Local. The drill was to stop by the tower, climb out and solo up the aeroplane, then let the student get on his way. But as I was coming to a halt, I saw a golf ball bouncing down the taxiway towards us. I shut the engine down and watched as the ball came through the (fortunately stationary) propeller arc, over the wing and bounced off the fuselage to land on the grass.... After restarting, I sent the student on his way and went up to Local. A few minutes later, I saw a number of elderly gents vainly searching for their ball. "I guess they're looking for this FOD I found on the taxiway", I told the controller. "Ooh, they won't like that - it's a retired Group Captain and his friends".

[chinook240]

Does the number include the 'Royal and Ancient Ascension Island Golf Course'?

Largely volcanic rock which would both damage players' golf bats and cause balls to ricochet in unpredictable directions!

Probably a legacy of the time when only a few corgi carriers and helicopters flew there, but at RAF Benson there was a station course over on the western side of the aerodrome near the ATC tower. One day I flew over from RAF Abingdon with my student, to let him do some solo circuit consol. whilst I watched and drank coffee with the lovely ladies in Local. The drill was to stop by the tower, climb out and solo up the aeroplane, then let the student get on his way. But as I was coming to a halt, I saw a golf ball bouncing down the taxiway towards us. I shut the engine down and watched as the ball came through the (fortunately stationary) propeller arc, over the wing and bounced off the fuselage to land on the grass.... After restarting, I sent the student on his way and went up to Local. A few minutes later, I saw a number of elderly gents vainly searching for their ball. "I guess they're looking for this FOD I found on the taxiway", I told the controller. "Ooh, they won't like that - it's a retired Group Captain and his friends".

Still there, although I’m not sure how many members are serving military.

[Corporal Clott]

Most RAF Station Golf Courses are in fact just a small area of land set aside with a few fairways, tees and greens maintained by their members. My favourite was the one at RAF Woodhall Spa that was slotted in around the old Thor missile launch bases - if you managed to hit one then it put another 100yds on your drive from the tee!

This really is a storm in tee-cup (pun intended) and makes very little difference to the tax payer. They are normally mown as part of the Station grass-cutting contract (it still needs cutting, golf course or not!) in just the same way as Soccer, Cricket and Rugby pitches might be. Unfortunately this is typical Mirror dirge that is trying to drum up left-wing anger at the so-called ‘privileged classes’ - little do they know that the RAF Golf Assoc makes the sport accessible to the very lowest paid in the Service as the use of these golf courses costs a couple of Quid in green fees (that goes towards the Club membership maintaining the course after it has been cut (holes, flags, tees and some TLC)).

Thank you Mirror for inducing more ‘politics of envy’ that seeks to falsely divide the Country. Scandalous in its own right...

[Tankertrashnav]

The course just inside the fence along the road which skirts RNAS Culdrose appears to have reverted to just a plain area of grass which is mown as described by Corporal Clott. Can't see that anything has been gained by losing the course, maybe the Navy thought that it wasn't very good PR for the passing taxpayer to be able to see all those navy types playing golf when they should have been off flying helicopters!

[mcdhu]

Fond memories of the RAF Masirah golf course behind the OM where the (red) ball could potentially land in the sand behind you if it hit a (not too) distant appropriately angled rock!! The 'greens' were called 'browns' for obvious reasons.
i wonder what it looks like now under SOAF guardianship.
Happy days - strangely enough!
cheers
mcdhu
​​​​​​.

[ExAscoteer]

My favourite was the one at RAF Woodhall Spa that was slotted in around the old Thor missile launch bases - if you managed to hit one then it put another 100yds on your drive from the tee!


Woodhall Spa was never a Thor site, what you reference were the Bloodhound launch pads.

The Bloodhounds were there until 1964 protecting Coningsby (which at the time was V Force) in a similar way to Woolfox Lodge protecting Cottesmore and Wittering or Misson Springs protecting Finningley.

[Corporal Clott]

Woodhall Spa was never a Thor site, what you reference were the Bloodhound launch pads.

Thanks, I’ve learned something today :ok:

[Wander00]

Cpl Clott. Thanks for saving me the trouble, just what I would have written. As for the press typical anti-services jealousy.

[Union Jack]

Thanks, I’ve learned something today :ok:
You might have thaid you're thorry.....

Jack

[tremblerman]

As I recall from my own less than glittering military career, all sports were open to all ranks.
I played a fair bit of rugby and there were no ranks on the pitch or in the club.
I remember a J/T who played for England.

[tucumseh]

Last one I played was Upavon. Very nice and am told it's still there. Lots of fog.

[DON T]

1975 TPMH Akrotiri and Ch Tech Mick Snuggs is the last golfer playing the 9 hole course with Browns. (Sand mixed with oil for Greens). He asks me to help keeping it going and there started my illustrious (sometimes) golf career. That little area was later enjoyed by many Akrotiri golfers but I can claim the fairest hole in one. Played many service courses since then and all were maintained mostly by volunteers. When I left the RAF I became a Golf Club Manager.

One of my favourite memories of service golf clubs was in Berlin, 2 days after Chernobyl, sign as you entered the course,’Golfers are warned not to lick their balls.”

[622]

Last one I played was Upavon. Very nice and am told it's still there. Lots of fog.

Still there, or at least it was when I last played it some years back - but I think privately owned now, they did however (again, when I last played) give you a discount if you were from the station...or 'Lines' as it is now.
I agree, nice course though.

[The Nip]

Woodhall Spa was never a Thor site, what you reference were the Bloodhound launch pads.

The Bloodhounds were there until 1964 protecting Coningsby (which at the time was V Force) in a similar way to Woolfox Lodge protecting Cottesmore and Wittering or Misson Springs protecting Finningley.

I used to play RAF(EX) Feltwell. That was a Thor site. Rather spartan course but no less enjoyable.

[Pontius Navigator]

Woodhall Spa was never a Thor site, what you reference were the Bloodhound launch pads.
.
AKA the Rocket Site

[Il Duce]

RAF Shawbury's 9-hole course used to be reasonable fun; although you had to phone ATC at some point to find out what runway was in use (phone provided alongside a green). If a particular runway was being used, one of the holes was out of play. RAF Cottesmore's course was a decent challenge - nine greens, 18 tees and included a couple of par 5s. It was usually in very good condition as the apprentice greenkeepers from the Burghley course near Stamford would come up to learn their trade on it. Anyone know if Kendrew Barracks have kept that course going?
Waddington had a golf club - wasn't up to much, now closed.

[jindabyne]

Lovely Australian Defence Force course at Canberra. Built by those Serving. Nice bar and eatery. Welcoming. Far too accommodating - as I knew, frequently :ok:

[Dan Winterland]

Marham's golf course was just the other side of the 57Sqn pan next to a taxiway. I saw more than one golf balls in front of the aircraft while taxiing. And sporting FOD is not just a preserve of military airfields. The old Bangkok airport (Don Muang) has a golf course between the two runways. I once had a golf ball bounce off the runway in front of the aircraft on roll out after landing. We mentioned it to ATC. Ther reply was. "Yes, that happens sometimes".

[Pom Pax]

"Yes, that happens sometimes".

And so did the reverse...............QANTAS scored a hole in one.

[Pegasus107]

RAF Cottesmore's course was a decent challenge - nine greens, 18 tees and included a couple of par 5s. It was usually in very good condition as the apprentice greenkeepers from the Burghley course near Stamford would come up to learn their trade on it. Anyone know if Kendrew Barracks have kept that course going?
Waddington had a golf club - wasn't up to much, now closed.

The first Army ‘Stn Comdt’ wasn’t interested in keeping it ‘operational’, even though a number of ex-RAF types tried.

There was even talk of turning area into a BMX type Course, using the bunkers; never happened though.

Just ended up overgrown!

[scarecrow450]

That's so sad as finished many a game using car head lights to light the green !

[Dan Winterland]

Just looked on Google spysat. The Marham and Bangkok courses are still there. But the Qantas 747 has gone.

[serf]

Leuchars has/had several ‘quite nice’ courses. Very cheap to play if you were a member of the golf society and lived in NE Fife.