That may be an underestimate. The golf courses have been in watchdogs’ crosshairs for decades, with Sen. William Proxmire (D-WI) calling out the Pentagon in 1975 for spending $14 million per year maintaining 300 golf courses. The number of courses has seemingly fallen since, but the Pentagon has also removed some from its lists or listed separate courses as one facility.
Maintenance costs vary. One Army golf course in Virginia costs around $1 million per year to operate and spent $406,000 replacing golf carts in 2021. MIC.com reported in 2012 that a “very conservative estimate” of annual costs for all the golf courses is $140 million.
The golf courses are banned from receiving money from Congress and are supposed to fund themselves with membership fees, private donations and other sources of revenue. Still, it’s fair to wonder why private donations to the military help pay for golf instead of actual warfighting capabilities.
There are also ways around the rules. The Government Accountability Office found in 1996 that 40% of military golf courses were losing money and using taxpayer funds to cover their losses.
The U.S. Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington D.C. is technically not part of the DOD, and for years its golf course operated using taxpayer money and 50-cent deductions from military paychecks.
Hellbound and Down 