Royal David Obermuller putts during a Sept. 28, 2023, tournament at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Aidan Dearing wants to get as many looks as he can at the Woodlawn Golf Course, the host of this year’s DODEA European golf championships.

The Spangdahlem senior even spent this past Sunday traveling 90 minutes southeast on his own time to play the 18-hole course. So, Thursday’s event hosted by Kaiserslautern marked the second time in five days he walked the links on Ramstein Air Base.

“I try to come out here as much as possible,” Dearing said. “It is a difficult course compared to what we have at home. I feel like I played better today, and I’m looking forward to the championships.”

Those championships are scheduled for two weeks from Thursday’s event.

Outside forces could throw a wrench into those plans, however. In a banner on the DODEA European website, extracurricular activities, including sports, will pause should a government shutdown commence at midnight on Oct. 1.

The Oct. 12-13 golf championships are the first in the fall sports calendar.

Stuttgart's Roxanne Mirenda hits on the fairway of Woodlawn Golf Course's No. 18 hole on Sept. 28, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden senior Brian Grieve chips on the green on the No. 10 hole at Woodlawn Golf Course on Sept. 28, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem golfer Cameron Lewis putts on the No. 18 hole at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Spet. 28, 2023. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Although that loomed over the golfers on Thursday, they focused on their play.

One athlete pleased to see the tournament moving to Ramstein Air Base this year is Wiesbaden’s Brian Grieve. The senior’s home course is the par-72 Rheinblick Golf Course, which has proven difficult for even the strongest of golfers. It has hosted the championships in the past.

In comparison, Woodlawn, at 5,691 yards and a par 70 from the white tees and 5,089 yards and a par 71 from the red tees, seems easier.

“The course that we have is really hilly, and it’s way harder than this course,” Grieve said of Rheinblick. “I’m kind of relieved that we’re playing here (Woodlawn) for Euros.”

Woodlawn still has its challenges, though.

The course has three par-5 holes with an average of 468.67 yards from the tee to the pin. Hole No. 8, described on the course’s website as “Woodlawn’s signature hole,” forces players to navigate 527 yards to get to the hole.

For those not used to the course, too, it throws in other wrinkles. Dearing mentioned the narrow fairways with trees tighter on either side.

“It’s very important to stay straight, not slice as much,” he said. “So, I try to play more conservative when it comes off the tee than I do normally.”

Kaiserslautern golfer Dallas Wassum follows her shot on the green on Woodlawn Golf Course's No. 3 hole on Sept. 28, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Vilseck's Finneas Horgan watches his shot off the tee during the No. 10 hole on Sept. 28, 2023, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

On Thursday, 64 golfers from seven schools got a preview of the course in what was the biggest meet of the regular season. It could have been larger had Naples traveled north of the Alps, but an airport workers strike Friday forced the Wildcats to cancel last minute.

Also missing were Aviano and Lakenheath, which squared off Tuesday in Italy.

The athletes noticed the numbers, as they weren’t used to having so many competitors on the course.

“Last year and the year before that, we didn’t really have that many kids coming out,” Grieve said. “It’s nice to see that it’s branched out and a lot more people are coming to play and support.”

For all the talk of the newcomers sneaking a peak ahead of the scheduled championships, Woodlawn is the home course for both Ramstein and Kaiserslautern. This gives those two schools homefield advantage, according to Kaiserslautern senior Shalee Moneymaker-Donachie.

The Royals and Raiders are the defending champions for the boys and girls team races, respectively.

“Playing on this course for the last four years, I think I have a little bit of an advantage when it comes to Euros,” Moneymaker-Donachie said. “I think Ramstein and K-Town have an advantage over the other schools, so we may have a bigger chance of winning.”

Vilseck golfer Jacob Hwang tees off on the No. 1 hole at Woodlawn Golf Course on Sept. 28, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Royal golfer Ryan Izaguirre tries to shoot out of the woods at Woodlawn Golf Course on Sept. 28, 2023, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)