Save Our Donald Ross Legacy: Stop the Closure of Historic Stryker Golf Course at Ft Bragg
The Issue
To:
☆President Donald J. Trump
☆Vice President JD Vance
☆Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
☆Director of the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR / G9) at the Army level (U.S. Army Installation Management Command – IMCOM) Josh Gwinn
☆ NC House of Representatives Speaker: Destin Hall
☆ NC Senate President Pro Tempore: Phil Berger
☆Gary Sinise Gary Sinise Foundation
☆Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Foundation
☆PGA & LPGA
From:
Soldiers, retirees, and military families of Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Secretary, Director Gwinn, Speaker Hall, President Pro Tempore Berger, Mr. Sinise, Mr. Woods and Members of the PGA & LPGA and other patriotic individuals:
We write as active-duty soldiers, retirees, and the families who have served and continue to serve at Fort Bragg—the historic home of the Airborne and Special Operations forces and one of the largest and most operationally critical installations in the United States Army. We respectfully but urgently request immediate intervention to stop the scheduled closure of Stryker Golf Course on or about 1 September 2026 and to reverse the broader pattern of diminishing on-base quality-of-life facilities.
Stryker is a Donald Ross-designed course that has served generations of soldiers and their families since 1946. Even though this course is not formally marketed, it still makes money. It is not merely a recreational amenity; it is a piece of military heritage and a practical, affordable outlet for physical fitness, stress relief, unit cohesion, and family recreation. Fort Bragg supports roughly 50,000 service members and over 80,000 family members. Including local retirees and their families, the total population dependent on MWR facilities is significantly higher. Closing Stryker would reduce the installation to a single golf course (Ryder), which lacks the capacity to serve the needs of this large military and retiree community. This closure also negatively impacts civilian players who choose to enjoy Stryker without being required to enter secured gates.
This is not an isolated decision. It continues a negative trend. The once-beautiful Willow Lake Golf Course on Pope Air Force Base was allowed to deteriorate and was ultimately closed. Land that had provided healthy recreation for airmen, soldiers, and families was lost. We now face the prospect of repeating that failure with another historic Donald Ross course. Soldiers and retirees of earlier generations enjoyed a fuller suite of MWR offerings. Today’s force and its families confront fewer on-base options and are increasingly pushed into the surrounding civilian environment of Fayetteville—areas that many of us experience as higher in costs and less suitable for family recreation.
Compounding the problem is evidence of mismanagement within local MWR. Of the three bowling alleys that once served the installation, only one remains open (Dragon Lanes), and even that facility is widely reported to be understaffed and poorly equipped. Yet resources appear available for MWR office renovations. This pattern—neglect of core recreational programs while administrative spaces receive attention—undermines trust and directly harms quality of life.
Discontinued or lost MWR activities highlight the extent of this decline:
▪︎Carpentry Shop, Auto Skills Shop, Picture-Framing Shop, Sewing/Quilting Shops, and Horseback Riding Stables
▪︎Fort Bragg Playhouse
▪︎Green Beret, 82nd Airborne, and 18th Airborne Corps Parachute Clubs
▪︎Fort Bragg Officers Club (historic national landmark) and NCO Club
▪︎Sports Bar
▪︎Labor Day Leapfest Parachute Competition (a major national military event)
▪︎Traditional New Year’s celebrations and formal Balls - MWR: "Take your family bowling for New Year’s..." versus having traditional New Year's celebrations, champagne breakfast and dancing, at the Officer's & NCO Clubs.
▪︎Real Oktoberfest
The Final Straw: Fort Bragg's 250th July 4th Independence Day celebrations DID NOT TAKE PLACE ON THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY (shifted to June 27, 2026, with limited notice)
Local MWR mismanagement exacerbates limited MWR offerings. This misplaced priority erodes trust and morale.
Quality of life is not a luxury. It is a readiness issue. Soldiers who can decompress, exercise, and spend time with their families on a safe, affordable, well-maintained installation return to the fight more resilient. Retirees who remain connected to the post through these facilities sustain the intergenerational military community that has long defined Fort Bragg. Forcing people off-post for basic recreation is a false economy that damages morale, readiness, and retention.
We therefore respectfully but firmly request the following:
Immediate halt to the planned closure of Stryker Golf Course (Donald Ross course) scheduled for 1 September 2026.
A full overhaul of the Fort Bragg MWR leadership and policy practices that have allowed facilities to degrade while core programs suffer. Why? Fort Bragg’s MWR offerings are noticeably inferior to those I, and many others, have experienced at other bases.
Reversal of the broader trend of closing or under-resourcing historical MWR activities so that soldiers, retirees, and their families are not compelled to seek recreation in higher-risk civilian environments. Restore and properly staff and equip the full range of on-base DIY/Hobby-based activities that previous generations of the Fort Bragg community enjoyed.
This is not a request for special treatment. It is a call to restore the standard of care that the Army once provided as a matter of course. The men and women who deploy from this installation, and the families who support them, deserve facilities that reflect the value of their service. Stryker Golf Course should remain open, properly maintained, and available. The pattern of managed decline must end.
We stand ready to provide additional information, usage data, or personal testimony. We ask only that you act before another piece of this community’s recreational and historical fabric is lost.
Respectfully submitted,
The soldiers, retirees, and families of Fort Bragg who still believe quality of life on the installation is a national priority.
#SaveOurStrykerGolf
#PresidentTrump
#VicePresidentVance
#GarySinise #GarySiniseFoundation #GratefulAmerican #ServeHonorSupport #VeteransHero
#TigerWoods #MastersLegend #TigerNation #GOAT #WoodsLegacy #TGR
#CongressmanHarrigan #GreenBeretCongressman #AmericaFirstHarrigan #SpecialForcesStrong #VeteranLeader
#GolfPatriots
#VeteransFirstHeroes
#LegendaryPatriots
#FreedomFightersClub
#GreatAmericanIcons
289
The Issue
To:
☆President Donald J. Trump
☆Vice President JD Vance
☆Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
☆Director of the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR / G9) at the Army level (U.S. Army Installation Management Command – IMCOM) Josh Gwinn
☆ NC House of Representatives Speaker: Destin Hall
☆ NC Senate President Pro Tempore: Phil Berger
☆Gary Sinise Gary Sinise Foundation
☆Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Foundation
☆PGA & LPGA
From:
Soldiers, retirees, and military families of Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Secretary, Director Gwinn, Speaker Hall, President Pro Tempore Berger, Mr. Sinise, Mr. Woods and Members of the PGA & LPGA and other patriotic individuals:
We write as active-duty soldiers, retirees, and the families who have served and continue to serve at Fort Bragg—the historic home of the Airborne and Special Operations forces and one of the largest and most operationally critical installations in the United States Army. We respectfully but urgently request immediate intervention to stop the scheduled closure of Stryker Golf Course on or about 1 September 2026 and to reverse the broader pattern of diminishing on-base quality-of-life facilities.
Stryker is a Donald Ross-designed course that has served generations of soldiers and their families since 1946. Even though this course is not formally marketed, it still makes money. It is not merely a recreational amenity; it is a piece of military heritage and a practical, affordable outlet for physical fitness, stress relief, unit cohesion, and family recreation. Fort Bragg supports roughly 50,000 service members and over 80,000 family members. Including local retirees and their families, the total population dependent on MWR facilities is significantly higher. Closing Stryker would reduce the installation to a single golf course (Ryder), which lacks the capacity to serve the needs of this large military and retiree community. This closure also negatively impacts civilian players who choose to enjoy Stryker without being required to enter secured gates.
This is not an isolated decision. It continues a negative trend. The once-beautiful Willow Lake Golf Course on Pope Air Force Base was allowed to deteriorate and was ultimately closed. Land that had provided healthy recreation for airmen, soldiers, and families was lost. We now face the prospect of repeating that failure with another historic Donald Ross course. Soldiers and retirees of earlier generations enjoyed a fuller suite of MWR offerings. Today’s force and its families confront fewer on-base options and are increasingly pushed into the surrounding civilian environment of Fayetteville—areas that many of us experience as higher in costs and less suitable for family recreation.
Compounding the problem is evidence of mismanagement within local MWR. Of the three bowling alleys that once served the installation, only one remains open (Dragon Lanes), and even that facility is widely reported to be understaffed and poorly equipped. Yet resources appear available for MWR office renovations. This pattern—neglect of core recreational programs while administrative spaces receive attention—undermines trust and directly harms quality of life.
Discontinued or lost MWR activities highlight the extent of this decline:
▪︎Carpentry Shop, Auto Skills Shop, Picture-Framing Shop, Sewing/Quilting Shops, and Horseback Riding Stables
▪︎Fort Bragg Playhouse
▪︎Green Beret, 82nd Airborne, and 18th Airborne Corps Parachute Clubs
▪︎Fort Bragg Officers Club (historic national landmark) and NCO Club
▪︎Sports Bar
▪︎Labor Day Leapfest Parachute Competition (a major national military event)
▪︎Traditional New Year’s celebrations and formal Balls - MWR: "Take your family bowling for New Year’s..." versus having traditional New Year's celebrations, champagne breakfast and dancing, at the Officer's & NCO Clubs.
▪︎Real Oktoberfest
The Final Straw: Fort Bragg's 250th July 4th Independence Day celebrations DID NOT TAKE PLACE ON THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY (shifted to June 27, 2026, with limited notice)
Local MWR mismanagement exacerbates limited MWR offerings. This misplaced priority erodes trust and morale.
Quality of life is not a luxury. It is a readiness issue. Soldiers who can decompress, exercise, and spend time with their families on a safe, affordable, well-maintained installation return to the fight more resilient. Retirees who remain connected to the post through these facilities sustain the intergenerational military community that has long defined Fort Bragg. Forcing people off-post for basic recreation is a false economy that damages morale, readiness, and retention.
We therefore respectfully but firmly request the following:
Immediate halt to the planned closure of Stryker Golf Course (Donald Ross course) scheduled for 1 September 2026.
A full overhaul of the Fort Bragg MWR leadership and policy practices that have allowed facilities to degrade while core programs suffer. Why? Fort Bragg’s MWR offerings are noticeably inferior to those I, and many others, have experienced at other bases.
Reversal of the broader trend of closing or under-resourcing historical MWR activities so that soldiers, retirees, and their families are not compelled to seek recreation in higher-risk civilian environments. Restore and properly staff and equip the full range of on-base DIY/Hobby-based activities that previous generations of the Fort Bragg community enjoyed.
This is not a request for special treatment. It is a call to restore the standard of care that the Army once provided as a matter of course. The men and women who deploy from this installation, and the families who support them, deserve facilities that reflect the value of their service. Stryker Golf Course should remain open, properly maintained, and available. The pattern of managed decline must end.
We stand ready to provide additional information, usage data, or personal testimony. We ask only that you act before another piece of this community’s recreational and historical fabric is lost.
Respectfully submitted,
The soldiers, retirees, and families of Fort Bragg who still believe quality of life on the installation is a national priority.
#SaveOurStrykerGolf
#PresidentTrump
#VicePresidentVance
#GarySinise #GarySiniseFoundation #GratefulAmerican #ServeHonorSupport #VeteransHero
#TigerWoods #MastersLegend #TigerNation #GOAT #WoodsLegacy #TGR
#CongressmanHarrigan #GreenBeretCongressman #AmericaFirstHarrigan #SpecialForcesStrong #VeteranLeader
#GolfPatriots
#VeteransFirstHeroes
#LegendaryPatriots
#FreedomFightersClub
#GreatAmericanIcons
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Petition created on July 17, 2026