Donald Ross Course at Fort Bragg to Close Amid Budget Strain

Stryker Golf Course, an 18-hole Donald Ross design outside the gates of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is set to close at the end of the month, according to ABC affiliate WTVD, which covers the Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville area.

Why is Stryker closing?

Jennifer Hodges, director of Fort Bragg's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation office, which runs both of the base's golf courses, said the closure comes down to financial sustainability. Stryker costs about $750,000 a year to maintain, and declining attendance made running two courses no longer workable. Hodges said officials tried a marketing campaign to boost foot traffic before deciding to close the course, and noted several base bowling alleys have closed in recent years amid similar budget pressures.

Stryker opened in 1946 at the end of Bragg Boulevard, across from the Fort Bragg Fairgrounds. Fort Bragg's other course, Ryder Golf Course on Normandy Drive, is about five miles away and will remain open.

A Donald Ross design that has stood since 1946 could not outrun a $750,000 annual maintenance bill.

The land has drawn interest before: Cumberland County commissioners voted against relocating a high school there in 2024, and garrison commander Col. Chad Mixon has floated rebranding the site as an entertainment complex with investment from the base, local civic leaders, and state and federal funding.