Fort Sill golf manager earns IMCOM excellence award
Photo By Chris Gardner |
Lt. Gen. James M. Smith, commanding general of U.S. Army Installation Management......read moreread more
Photo By Chris Gardner | Lt. Gen. James M. Smith, commanding general of U.S. Army Installation Management Command, left, presents the Excellence in Management Award for Golf to Matt Brown, Fort Sill Golf Club manager, during the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Leaders’ Conference at Shades of Green in Orlando, Fla., March 3, 2026. The award recognizes Brown’s leadership and the Fort Sill Golf Club’s performance during calendar year 2025. see less
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Fort Sill golf manager earns IMCOM excellence award
FORT SILL, Okla. — For Matt Brown, the 2025 Installation Management Command Excellence in Management Award for golf is not really about one person.
“It’s not really a Matt Brown award,” Brown said. “It’s a Fort Sill Golf Club award.”
That perspective helps explain why the recognition matters.
Brown, manager of the Fort Sill Golf Club, received the IMCOM-level award March 3 during the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Leaders’ Conference awards ceremony at Shades of Green in Orlando, Florida. The award recognizes top-performing garrisons and leaders across the Army’s MWR enterprise.
For Fort Sill, it is a visible sign that a local program many Soldiers, families and area residents know well is doing more than maintaining a golf course. It is building community, creating access to recreation and supporting quality of life on the installation.
Brown said his first thought after learning of the award was his staff.
“Without these people, I obviously wouldn’t have been able to do that,” he said. “From the maintenance guys to the outdoor rec aide to my cooks to my frontline guys in the pro shop, I thought of them and the outstanding job that they do.”
That team effort helped produce the numbers behind the award. According to Fort Sill Family and MWR, the golf course posted a 14% increase in revenue and a 118% increase in net income before depreciation. Rounds of play also climbed 6%, reaching more than 31,000 annually.
Those gains did not come from one change alone.
Brown said strong weather helped, but he pointed to programming and steady outreach as major drivers of growth. The golf club has continued to expand opportunities through junior golf, Ladies Night Out, tournaments and PGA HOPE, a program that provides free golf instruction to veterans. The course also supports local high school golf teams and works to introduce new players to the game.
“You get the kids out, the families come out, you get the wives out, the husbands come, and you’re basically growing the game,” Brown said. “That’s the future I see. That’s long after Matt Brown’s gone.”
That long view is rooted in Brown’s own history with the course.
A Lawton native and Lawton High School graduate, Brown played his first golf tournament at the Fort Sill course in 1973. He later built a career in the golf business, including time in Arkansas, but he said Fort Sill was always the course he hoped to lead.
“This was the only course that I really wanted to run,” he said. “The job that I came from, I was completely happy. I told my boss, ‘This is the only job that I’ll ever leave for.’”
That personal connection gives the award added meaning. Brown returned not only to a profession he loves, but to a place he had known since childhood.
Golf, he said, has shaped much of his life.
“Once you start playing golf and you get hooked, it’s a game for a lifetime,” Brown said. “It’s given me everything that I have. Not just tangible things, but my friends, relationships, everything.”
That belief also helps explain Brown’s commitment to PGA HOPE, which stands for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere. Brown, a PGA HOPE instructor for several years, said the program offers one small but important way to give back to service members and veterans.
“When you help them out and you see them, first of all, they love to get out,” he said. “The first time they hit a good shot, their face lights up like a little kid. You can’t put a price on that.”
The program is consistently in demand, with waiting lists for available sessions.
Brown said the larger mission at Fort Sill Golf Club is to make the course welcoming to everyone, especially Soldiers and their families.
“This golf course is here for the Soldiers and their families,” he said. “We’re going to take care of them. They’re welcome to the driving range at any time. If they just want to bring the family out and have lunch out here, we’re happy to have them. That’s what we’re here for.”
That customer-first approach is part of why the award matters beyond the scorecard.
At the conference, IMCOM Commanding General Lt. Gen. James M. Smith emphasized the role Family and MWR programs play in Army readiness and culture. Fort Sill leaders say Brown’s award reflects that same connection between recreation and resilience.
“The evening concluded with remarks from the IMCOM commanding general, who emphasized the critical role of FMWR in overall Army readiness and culture,” said Sarah Gersper, Fort Sill director of Family and MWR. “Mr. Brown’s award is a tangible example of Fort Sill’s commitment to that mission, showcasing how well-managed MWR programs directly contribute to the quality of life and resilience of our Soldiers and Families.”
For golfers, the story is about a course that continues to grow and serve its customers well. For the Fort Sill community, it is about more than golf.
It is about a program that gives people a place to compete, learn, relax and spend time together. It is about a manager who sees the course as both a business and a community asset. And it is about building something that lasts.
Brown’s vision for the future includes continued programming, support for new players and, eventually, a new clubhouse. But even as he looks ahead, his focus remains on keeping the course strong for the next generation.
“My dream would just be that it continues,” he said.
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