RED CLOUD GARRISON - Every day is a special day on the Red Cloud Golf Course, says Don Durden, Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation golf course manager. It presents challenges for the best golfers and offers delights for those who are new to the game.
For those who are not accustomed to golf and its unique challenges, it may seem like the quaint Red Cloud course wouldn't offer anything special. It's a slender tract of land that runs down the middle of the post with only nine holes, but therein lays the challenge, Durden said.
"This is a nine-hole golf course but the way we have it set up, we have a front side and a back side," he said. "On the front you are hitting a different shot than you would be hitting on the back, say on the first hole and the 10th. We have two different tee boxes at each of the nine holes, so the player is hitting from a different tee box while playing the back nine holes."
Playing the same holes from the opposite sides gives the course an opportunity to pose different challenges to the player, Durden said.
"We have different greens on some of the holes," he said. "We have 18 flags out there that the player will hit to, so it is going to be a different shot on every hole."
One thing that makes the Red Cloud Golf Course so unique is the fact it's a very small and very short golf course, but it's a very tough one because there are a lot of "out-of-bounds" on it where the player loses a shot if he hits the ball out-of-bounds.
"The out-of-bounds situation adds to the difficulty of play for the golfer," he said. "Fairways are all very narrow and the greens are not very big. It will really help the golfer's short game and is one of the reasons people like to play this golf course."
The chipping and putting parts are something most golfers are always polishing and Durden said the Red Cloud Golf Course will also put those skills to the test.
"This golf course differs from larger ones in it has five par threes where larger golf courses may only have three," he said. "The shortest hole we have is only 105 yards and I have seen a lot of people walk away from that hole with triple bogies and quadruple bogies. It's a tough little golf course."
The Red Cloud Golf Course does sport many of the same advantages as other bigger, and less challenging golf courses. The driving range where golfers can practice their long range driving shots is unique.
"The driving range is a short one, but you can see what you are doing with your ball," Durden said. "It has four slots for golfers to practice on."
Among the courses best features are a very good practice chipping green with a sand trap and a good putting green, all at no cost to golfers. To add to these attractions is a well-stocked pro shop, and advanced lessons with a semi-professional and beginner's lessons with Durden.
"There are a lot of things available for young Soldiers and civilians when it comes to golf, all can have a great time playing 18 holes," he said.
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