Fort Meade Golf Course to Close in May

The golf course at Fort Meade is closing this May to make way for new construction tied to expansion of agencies on base.

Officials said they were sad to report that the 27-hole course would not remain open through the year, but said the land is needed to make way for the needs of the Department of Defense.

"The loss of the golf course is an emotional issue," said Garrison Commander Col. Edward Rothstein in a press release. "However, the decision to support national security, DoD priorities and our partners is not difficult.”

The Courses at Fort Meade are open to all active duty military, as well as veterans, retired service members and their families. The course has been a key part of Fort Meade's Family, Morale and Welfare programs.

Fort Meade once operated two 18-hole courses and turned a profit for Fort Meade. But it lost nine holes and its driving range due to the arrival of the Defense Information Systems Agency and other groups tied to the base realignment and closure (BRAC) proceedings.

New construction projects tied to NSA, U.S. Cyber Command and other agencies are expected to be even larger than those that were a result of BRAC.

Leaders from Fort Meade had hoped that plans for a new golf course would be in place by the time the existing golf course was forced to close.

Rothstein said the installation is now looking at a wide range of options, including purchasing a nearby course or building a new one. In the short term, he said the installation is hoping to work out a reciprocal agreement with a local course.

"I want you to know that Meade is aggressively continuing efforts to find an alternative resolution to meet our community golfing requirements," Rothstein said in the release. "Garrison leaders, civic and business leaders as well as many of our friends outside Fort Meade’s gates are engaged in discussions that will help us find positive alternatives for the post community.”

In the press release, Fort Meade officials indicated that getting a new course financed and built has been challenging due to the shrinking defense budgets. All along, officials have said a direct appropriation from the government has been unlikely.

Rothstein's predecessor, Col. Daniel Thomas, to finance a golf course as part of an Enhanced Use Lease agreement for millions of square feet of office space on Fort Meade. That lease agreement has not been finalized, though a Fort Meade spokesman said negotiations are ongoing.

A new golf course, if built, would be located near the intersection of Maryland Route 32 and Maryland Route 175, with an entrance that would allow users to play without the need to pass through a security gate.

“We aren’t giving up,” said Rothstein. “There are a lot of creative thinkers working toward the goal of moving this course to a location that has already been selected."

Fort Meade will host the Commander’s Cup Golf Tournament on April 29, and it will be the final tournament on the course.