Joining Forces with John Rourke and We Fund The Blue for the First Memorial Day Golf Tournament
This past Memorial Day weekend, while most Americans gathered with family and friends to honor the holiday, we deployed directly to one of the most strategically important, isolated Military installations in the world. Warrior Golf Academy (WGA) Founder Jonathan Sessa stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a dedicated group of patriots on the ground at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), Cuba, to bring critical relief to the men and women defending our freedom on the front lines.
With global tensions and uncertainties constantly shifting, the pressure placed on the 5,000 personnel stationed at GTMO is immense. Our mission for this three-day deployment was simple: remember the fallen and stand firmly with the living. We wanted to ensure these brave individuals knew that America has not forgotten them.
A Morale Event of this magnitude requires incredible logistical coordination and unwavering dedication. This deployment was spearheaded by John Rourke and the relentless team at WeFundTheBlue. Their overarching mission brought essential relief, camaraderie, and profound gratitude to the 5,000 personnel stationed on the base.
Teeing Off on the "World's Worst Golf Course"
For the men and women stationed at GTMO, the daily reality is grueling. They are cut off from commercial deliveries, unable to leave the closed post, and face massive logistical hurdles just to take Leave. When these Service Members seek a brief escape through golf, they are met with what is notoriously known as the "world's worst golf course".
Our Troops have no choice but to play in incredibly harsh conditions. There are no lush fairways, only rugged dirt terrain, barren ground, and sharp rocks. This isn't just standard rough; it is natural machine gun range ground, littered with spent casings and debris. To even take a swing without instantly destroying their equipment, players must carry around a portable artificial turf mat to hit off of. The tee boxes offer no relief either, consisting only of cement blocks topped with old, worn-out mats. There is zero piping for watering the "fairways" because it is all dead, natural ground.
Even a great shot presents a frustrating challenge. You can hit your ball and watch it land perfectly right in the center of the fairway, but you're still completely unable to find it due to the thousands of white rocks that all look exactly like a golf ball.
Because of this constant hazard, we quickly learned about a local survival guide born out of necessity: "GTMO Rules." Under these rules, if you hit a clean shot into the fairway but the sea of identical rocks swallows it whole, you search for a moment. If everyone in the group agrees on a drop, GTMO Rules take charge, and you get a free drop. Of course, that free drop is placed right back onto the fake golf grass mat you've been carrying around with you from hole to hole.
The "Greens" offer no smooth rolling surface. The grass is incredibly thick, looking like it was mowed with a standard backyard lawnmower rather than a professional golf course reel, because it was. Because of the intense fear of killing what little grass actually exists, the cups are almost never moved. As a result, the holes are often partly overgrown by the time you reach them to putt.
The entire operation relies on a limited team of exactly one person, trying as hard as he can to make this course the best it can possibly be. Yet despite the brutal layout, the Service Members who play here don't complain; they would gladly help maintain the course themselves. For them, this rugged patch of land is much more than a game, it is their only true lifeline to "Home." They stand watch in these conditions for us, so we knew we had to step up for them.
Delivering Top-Tier Equipment and Over $30,000 in Prizes
During this Morale Event, Warrior Golf Academy completely overhauled the base’s recreational golf experience. Thanks to an incredibly generous donation, we hand-delivered 12 brand-new sets of Northwestern Golf clubs. These clubs were left permanently on the installation, ensuring that every Military member has free access to quality equipment without the burden of shipping or logistics.
But we didn't stop at just dropping off clubs. To bring a much-needed competitive spark and high-energy relief, we hosted a massive golf tournament and clinic for the base. To ensure the Troops felt truly valued, we supplied over $30,000 in total prizes. The stakes were incredibly high on the course, featuring a massive $10,000 Hole-in-One prize. We also offered a $15,000 Riviera Travel cruise for 1st place!
An event of this scale is only possible through the immense generosity of patriots and sponsors stepping up to serve. We received extreme help and support from Christie Hutcherson of the Kennedy Quick Reaction Fund to help make this a reality. The Members of TPC Sugarloaf generously donated high-quality golf balls and shirts, while FootJoy provided top-tier wet weather tops and bottoms to ensure our Troops are properly geared up. We were also thrilled to award exclusive golf packages donated by Trump Doral and World Golf Village, alongside special signed items from the Guy Fieri Foundation.
The incredible prize pool extended beyond the golf course as well. Thanks to the immense generosity of Henry Repeating Arms, in collaboration with Kennedy International Logistics and Services (KILS), the giveaways included a stunning Golden Boy Deluxe Engraved .22LR and a Big Boy Deluxe Engraved .44 Magnum rifle.
Watching these Service Members decompress, compete for these incredible prizes, and experience a brief slice of home was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.
Looking Ahead: The USA 250th Secured Horizon Series
The reality is that GTMO is not an isolated case. What I witnessed on the ground in Cuba is a window into a much larger, global challenge. Across the globe, forward-deployed Military installations and First Responder units face this exact same intense isolation, heavy operational pressure, and a severe lack of constructive recreational outlets. Whether they are stationed at remote outposts or isolated commands, these brave men and women are forced to navigate environments that offer almost no way to truly decompress.
That is why we are launching the USA 250th "Secured Horizon" Series. As our Nation approaches its historic 250th anniversary, Warrior Golf Academy is committed to ensuring our heroes are not left behind. This multi-day morale tour is specifically designed to take what we accomplished at GTMO and scale it globally, traveling directly to remote, restrictive, and isolated installations worldwide to deliver high-impact golf clinics, our custom club-stamping activations, and vital mental health decompression.
Golf is so much more than just a game; for a Service Member thousands of miles from home, it is a psychological lifeline. It is a few hours where they can escape the uniform, clear their minds, and tap into a sense of normalcy and camaraderie that is impossible to find anywhere else on base. But to make that escape meaningful, they need the right resources.
Our liberty and freedoms are protected by the men and women who willingly sacrifice their daily comfort for ours. It is our absolute duty as Americans to ensure that when they need a moment of peace, they aren't forced to hit off sharp rocks, search through spent ammunition casings, or carry a fake piece of grass around just to clear their heads. They deserve our best. Through the "Secured Horizon" Series, we are going to make sure they get it.
To see the ground reality of what our Troops are playing on and to view the photos from our GTMO deployment, check out our homepage or follow us on Instagram.
A Powerhouse Alliance on the Ground
The weekend kicked off on Friday night with a packed comedy show featuring Luis Diaz and Gerard Michaels, accompanied by a phenomenal taco dinner. Throughout the weekend, thousands of active-duty Service Members and Military families were served premium Texas Wagyu brisket and sausage from Chef & Rancher, prepared fresh by the incredible volunteer team from the Guy Fieri Foundation.
The energy across the base was completely unmatched. On Saturday, current BKFC light heavyweight champion Lorenzo “The Juggernaut” Hunt held an intense meet-and-greet and boxing clinic at the Fitness Center. The following morning, UFC Hall of Famer Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz took over the gymnasium for an unforgettable rolling clinic, spending hours actively training, interacting, and lifting the spirits of the Troops.
To bring a true taste of home to the island, country music artists Jordan Oaks and Tommy Lynn delivered high-patriotism live sets at O'Kelly's Patio and the Bayview Tiki Bar, while Joe the Barber worked tirelessly from the ballroom to the patios providing free professional haircuts for both male and female Service Members as a small token of our collective appreciation. It was an honor to stand alongside We Fund The Blue, combining top-tier recreation, world-class entertainment, and incredible food to deliver a complete package of gratitude to our frontline heroes.