Whispering Pines will not be silenced

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Kimberly Bergo
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Recently, the Air Force Times published a ranking of the best and worst bases and unfortunately, Columbus Air Force Base was tied for second to last, receiving low marks for base facilities and being christened a "black hole" of boredom.

But this unkind surprise came with a silver lining: an immediate and enthusiastic push by base leadership, specifically Col. John Nichols, 14th Flying Training Wing Commander, to improve the quality of life for Airmen and their families stationed at Columbus.

"We are taking another swing at transforming Whispering Pines into a viable, quality 9-hole course for Team Blaze. The golf course is literally at the center of this base and with the combined support of Air Education and Training Command services, the community and Team Blaze, the golf course will be preserved and will be able to create revenue," Nichols said.

One of the first steps of this base-wide revitalization was to give the golf course a reprieve. With closure request paperwork already being processed, Whispering Pines Golf Club was expected its last day of operation would be Sept. 30, 2014. That process has now been cancelled and Golf Course Manager Pam Wickham said "It's staying open!"

Tyndall AFB, Fla., and more recently Sheppard AFB, Texas, are among the bases which have been forced to let weeds seize once pristinely manicured greens, pushing their Airmen off-base, where rates as much as triple for 18 holes and cart rentals. Whispering Pines is hopeful that it will be able to buy some of the course equipment from Sheppard AFB. The current priority is to acquire a greens mower, as the one now used is on its last leg.

"Our newest piece of major equipment is from 2008, and the oldest golf cart is from 1993," Wickham said. "The equipment at Sheppard is, by comparison, much newer and would vastly improve the playability of the course."

Golf club management also has plans for winter projects including redoing the sand traps and improving the tee boxes. With the pending improvements, an optimistic Wickham said "We can break even easily." Many former members are expected to return from the costly off-base golf clubs. Whispering Pines is still losing money, but with multiple events booked at the golf club such as wine and beer pairing evenings, charity tournaments and squadron functions, things are definitely looking up.

Tee times are available Tuesday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Beginning in November, operating times will be slightly shortened to accommodate changing daylight hours. If you would like schedule a tee time, please call 434-7932.