JBER's Moose Run Golf Course offers fun and time to unwind

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman James Richardson
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Questions, checklists and procedures plague the mind ... Will the wind affect my shot? What is the best path in identifying my target? If I miss, what's behind my target? Am I controlling my breathing? How will I react if I miss?

Many Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines have been troubled by these questions as soon as they set foot on the Moose Run Golf Course on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

The game of golf is one that involves concentration, discipline, integrity and commitment - all behaviors which go hand-in-hand with a military career.

Setting up a drive on hole 18 on the Hill Course is very similar to setting up a shot downrange; although the stressors and subject matter are drastically different, taking the right shot requires knowledge, muscle memory and swift execution.

A Soldier will not conduct a successful flanking maneuver on their first day in the Army nor will someone hit a hole-in-one their first time playing golf (unless they are extremely lucky).

An infantry Soldier must at least graduate basic training and advanced individual training before they can successfully apply tactical movements in a deployed environment.
Golf is no different, as proper coaching and practice is necessary.

"Please, please, please get instruction to start out with," said Moose Run Golf Course Professional Golf Association pro, Donald Kramer. "We offer junior camps, programs for women, a program called Get Golf Ready, and we do individual lessons to help anyone's game."

Even though golf requires a lot of hard work and determination, it is a great sport to decompress from the day-to-day grind.

"I did 10 years in the Air Force working on the flightline and am very familiar with the discipline and stress that's associated with being in the military, but playing golf is a great way to unwind," Kramer said. "You get to essentially go for a walk in the park and see wildlife and the beautiful scenery of Alaska."

Voted the No. 1 golf course in Alaska by Golf Digest in 2014, Moose Run Golf Course offers more than a tough course and the title of world's northernmost 36-hole golf facility. Moose Run offers a great place for JBER Airmen and Soldiers to develop friendships, camaraderie with co-workers and an individual peace of mind.

"Some days, I will go out by myself to unwind or to get my mind off stressful things in life," said Senior Airman Ryan Myers, loadmaster with the 517th Airlift Squadron. "Other days I enjoy the competition and just being out on the course with friends."

With greens opening up on the course every day, the frustration of golfers will rise with it.
"Golf, like the military at times, is very frustrating but also very rewarding," said Myers. "I really enjoy not knowing what type of shot I will have to face next."

Whether it is learning the game for the first time with lessons from Kramer, playing the weekly round of 18 with friends on the Creek Course, or finding solace in hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range to get your mind off of the workweek, Moose Run Golf Course offers enormous potential for personal development and something we all seem to forget at times ... fun.