SWGC Blue Course reopens

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterMay 29, 2015

SWGC Blue Course reopens
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (May 29, 2015) -- After more than a year, dozens of explosions and thousands of pounds of munitions removed, Silver Wings Golf Course's Blue Course is ready to reopen.

SWGC is once again a 27-hole championship facility with the reopening of the Blue Course, which will officially open during the Blue Course Grand Reopening Tournament June 6.

The tournament will be a team format with a four-person scramble. Winners will be determined by the lowest 18-hole scores, said Chet Hallman, SWGC business manager.

The tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m., and although the tournament is nearly full, a standby list is available for those still interested, he added. For more information, call 598-2449.

Prizes will be awarded for first through sixth place, which include new drivers, clubs, shirts and various merchandise from the shop.

"We're excited that we're finally getting to reopen the course and our members are really excited. They should be very pleased with the results," he said.

The reason behind the renovations of the Blue Course was due to munitions removal, of which a total of 1,545 items were recovered -- nearly 62,000 pounds of munitions debris and 35,000 pounds of scrap metal, Hallman said.

The area was used as an antitank range and rocket-propelled grenade range during the World War II era, he added, so a lot of old munitions were buried in the ground throughout the course and in the surrounding area.

The entire process took about a year and a half, coming to an end in November. In order to recover as much of the leftover munitions as possible, most of the sites were individual sites, so much of the recovery process was done through digging by hand.

"They used ground radar to identify the targets and dig them out by hand," said the business manager. "There were several areas that were too large with so much debris in the area that bulldozers were used to scrape away layers of Earth so they could dig -- it was a very tedious process."

After the recovery, the munitions would be lined up, buried under sand bags and then detonated with explosives to destroy them.

Since then, Hallman said the course has been renovated and improved.

"We have done some extensive improvements to the course," he said. "The greens on Holes 1-6 have been stripped of their existing sod, the ranges were re-contoured and new turf was put down.

"We've renovated all the bunkers, new tee complexes were added on Holes 6-9, and we did some drainage work," he continued. "The layout of the course is the same. The best way to describe it is that the course got a facelift. Most of the holes out here are close to 50 years old, so we gave them a fresh look."

Along with the opening of the course, new membership rates will go into effect June 1, said Hallman.

Annual membership rates are: $528 for E-1 to E6 and juniors ages 12-17; $858 for E-7 and up and Department of Defense civilians; and $924 for members of the public. Family rates are also available.

For more information, call 598-2449.

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Silver Wings Golf Course

Fort Rucker, Ala.

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