Air Force wants to upgrade golf course ops - more money down the shithole

[unhappycamper]

Master Sgt. Rond Sampson, 47th Force Support Squadron, tees off on the 11th hole at Leaning Pines Golf Course.


Air Force wants to upgrade golf course ops
By Scott Fontaine - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jul 24, 2010 14:29:29 EDT

Wing kings and general officers rejoice: The Air Force is looking for a way to improve its golf courses.

The Air Force Services Agency runs 66 courses across the world, from a 9-hole short course in the foothills of northern Italy to the 54-hole monster at Joint Base Andrews, Md., with enough fairways and bunkers to accommodate Pentagon brass sneaking away for a few hours.

All those courses, all those holes, all those golfers apparently require a better system to track operations, on and off the greens.

The agency submitted a proposal request for new software to reach an “improved level of business practices and reporting.” The software — or, in the words of the Air Force, “a best-in-breed, commercial-off-the-shelf information technology golf enterprise solution” — would help the Air Force match the commercial sector’s business practices to help with efficiency and save money.

AFSVA wants the software to automatically report financial and operational data, as well as interface with systems for purchasing, financial management and the Golf Handicap and Information Network. “The latter bills itself as the “world’s largest handicap computation service” and tracks scores for more than 2 million golfers at more than 12,000 golf courses.

[ixion]

1. notice that this is plural... golf courseS

As in, "we've got our own private country club at taxpayer's expense." :argh:

[pipoman]

2. Many of the coarses are open to the public...

I have played coarses on military bases as a civilian. Most of the military coarses I have seen on bases are nice but not extravagant. These bases are huge, full out cities, with lots of kids and spouses who live and work/go to school right on the bases. In the whole scheme of things the cost of maintaining these coarses are tiny. That said, I still am not sure what exactly this article is about.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I like having the golf courses on base. I don't play, but lots of military families do.

All the services have stuff like this--the Army and Navy have recreation areas in various places(lakes, camping, etc.) set aside just for their personnel. Good for morale.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. It's about upgrading the management system to make it more efficient, and...

give the lesser lights of the anti-militarists something more to whine about.

Anti-militarist that I am, though, I see nothing more wrong with golf courses on base (or at VA centers) than I do with the pool tables or tennis courts. Opening them to the public was a great idea.

[LargeGreenSpider]

3. The Military Entitlement Complex

The gravy train never ends for these leeches.
The US military: Winless since 1945 ... and still spending.

[backwoodsbob]

7. ummm...

this isn't some overhyped military toy...it's a golf course.

I have no problem with the idea of giving our military personnel a golf course to blow off some steam on the weekends

[ixion]

11. It is a waste of taxpayer money

let them blow off steam on their own dime.

[Historic NY]

4. one of them DOD stupid things.

[NC_Nurse]

5. Fuck that.

[Motown_Johnny]

9. would you prefer they spend the money on more bullets?

I am all for spending Pentagon money on golf courses.

[ixion]

12. I'd prefer they didn't spend it. Further, I wish they didn't even have the option

of spending it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. I assume this is from non-apropriated funds like other MWR items

which means it should not cost the taxpayer anything in the long run

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. A friend was just telling me recently she went to a lecture

where a guy talked about how useless the Air Force is. He said all they do is fly bombs around. If we really wanted to cut back the defense budget, we would eliminate the Air Force.

[backwoodsbob]

14. I hope you're joking

I would eliminate EVERY other armed force b4 the Air Force.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. I didn't say it

The guy she heard at the lecture said it.

Why would you keep the AF?

[tammywammy]

16. Aren't most military golf courses open to the public? n/t