Summing It Up
• Many properties are now in their second or third phases of flood-protection or drought-control measures, and wondering how much more they can do—or take. |
Most of Pala Mesa Resort (top)was spared by wildfires that raged past its perimeter, but equipment in a maintenance shed took a direct hit. |
Brookhaven CC couldn’t mow fairways for three weeks after record-level flooding; even after the water subsided at Fargo CC (below), 11 holes stayed closed for eight weeks of cleanup. |
The past year brought new meaning to the term “water hazard” at golf courses around the country. From too much water in the Central U.S. to too little rain in the Southeast and wildfire-ravaged southern California, some superintendents spent much of their time swimming against the tide, in an increasingly challenging effort to stay one stroke ahead of Mother Nature.
Jay Stine, Certified Golf Course Superintendent and the Director of Golf Course Maintenance at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, says record-level floods struck the private facility, which features three 18-hole golf courses, in late May and early June. “We went about three weeks without being able to mow fairways,” he recalls, and his maintenance staff constantly rebuilt the bunkers that repeatedly washed away.
The property took “a big hit” in revenues when all three courses were closed for five to 10 days in June, Stine reveals. The courses lost guest and cart fees, he explains, and several outings had to be canceled.
At Fargo (N.D.) Country Club, Certified Golf Course Superintendent Craig Vigen says the Red River, which crested at 30.8 feet, flooded the private, 27-hole property in June. Summer floods are typically a greater concern than ones that occur in the spring, he notes.
Warm water and hot summer temperatures kill turf, says Vigen, and the maintenance staff had to re-grass the fairways and tees, rough areas and four greens. “It’s a mess to clean up,” he says, noting that 11 holes were closed for about eight weeks.
“Without having a regular 18, play was pretty limited,” Vigen adds. “It’s a drain on revenue; you lose a lot of guest fees and cart fees.” The property also lost concession, clubhouse and pro shop sales while the golf holes were being repaired, at a cost of about $60,000.
Although the Red River Valley hasn’t experienced a “wet cycle” since the 1980s, says Vigen, it now has some wondering if a shutoff will ever come. “The trend has been an increase in the number of floods,” he notes.
A “wet cycle” has led to chronic flooding, says Fargo CC’s Craig Vigen. |
Dying for a Drink
The reports of the severe flooding in those parts of the country were viewed, however, with equal parts sympathy and envy in the Southeast, where a long, dry summer brought a Level Two drought to much of Georgia, and worsening conditions elevated many parts of the region to a Level Four condition by late September.
“The only thing that ‘saved’ us is that this came at the end of the growing season, when it was cooler,” says Ken Mangum, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Atlanta Athletic Club in suburban Duluth, Ga.
William Smith, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at the Country Club of Columbus (Ga.), agrees. Tees and greens were exempt from watering restrictions throughout the summer, he explains, and fairways and rough could be watered three days a week. Nevertheless, the restrictions left brown spots in the fairways.
“I don’t mind brown areas,” says Smith. “I don’t want to lose grass.” Under Level Four conditions, though, the private club has only been able to use water for greens and fertilizer applications.
To save water, the CC of Columbus (Ga.) has painted greens and let grass grow dormant, reports Superin-tendent William Smith. |
The Atlanta AC may have fared better than most, Mangum says, because it’s used reclaimed water for the past four years (at Level Four, golf course properties with permits to use reclaimed water are exempt from restrictions).
The Country Club of Birmingham (Ala.), which faced severe drought conditions all summer, has five wells to irrigate its two 18-hole courses. General Manager Chris Berlin says the property started drilling wells, which provide about 85 percent of its water, five years ago. However, the facility still relies on city water supplements to recharge its two lakes.
Lee McLemore, a Certified Golf Course Superintendent and the Director of Golf Operations for the club, says the drought forced the Birmingham property to reduce its irrigation practices for the two courses from 750,000 to 250,000 gallons of water per night. As a further step towards making sure it was being seen as a good citizen, the club posted a notice prominently on its Web site home page, for all members and visitors to see, that read “Well Water Used for Irrigation.”
Feeling the Burn
Mark Louder, Golf Course Superintendent at Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook, Calif., is also well aware of the harmful effects of dry conditions. The 18-hole, semi-private property lost an office building and its maintenance facility —along with 70 pieces of equipment valued at about $600,000 and its central irrigation system controls—in October’s wildfires that raged through Southern California.
“We really didn’t sustain a whole lot of damage to the course—just trees on the perimeters,” Louder says. He estimates tree damage at $1 million, and the resort lost $31,000 in tournament revenues alone while closed for nine days.
From October 2006 to October 2007, says Louder, the property received 1.75 inches of rain. “I think we’re supposed to average about 15 inches per year,” he says.
Short- and Long-Term Woes
The effects on revenues and expenses from extreme weather conditions come in many forms, and can be felt for many years. The CC of Birmingham did not budget for the usage surcharges imposed by the local water board, says Berlin. Play was generally not affected because there were no rainouts, adds McLemore, but rounds dropped when temperatures topped 100 degrees for a 10- to 12-day stretch in August.
Some of the 20 trees at his club lost to the drought will likely be replaced, McLemore adds. Man-gum also reports that trees at the Atlanta Athletic Club suffered from inadequate irrigation in the dry conditions. “Anything that’s weak gets pushed over the edge by this drought,” he notes.
Long-term changes at Pala Mesa Resort include an increased use of wetting agents and a switch from synthetic to organic fertilizers, to improve the soils. The California golf course converted from perennial rye grass to the more drought-tolerant Bermuda grass in recent years, and Louder says water expenses have also increased.
“We have three wells on the property, and they’ve slowly, but surely, dropped off in production,” he adds.
Although Brookhaven CC faced a record drought last year, Stine says flooding from Rawhide Creek, which runs through the course, is inevitable during heavy rains.
“It’s a no-win situation as far as the amount of water that comes through the property,” he explains. “We’re just hoping for a normal year, to get back on track.”
Jay Stine and the turf management staff at Brookhaven CC coped with a record drought in 2006, followed by floods that continually washed out bunkers this year. |
Digging Deeper for Solutions
Ever since a severe drought struck many parts of the nation seven years ago, golf course properties have been increasing measures to control water usage. But managers are being stretched to come up with new ideas.
“The drought in 2000 was just as bad, but this has been more long-lasting,” McLemore reveals.
Berlin says the CC of Birmingham property, which might take the step of adding a third lake, has identified water self-sufficiency as a long-range goal. In addition, McLemore reveals, the drought has spurred green industry representatives in the area to step up discussions with the local water authority, which has added more customers—without increasing water capacity—in recent years.
Smith has been painting the greens and letting the rest of the grass go dormant at the CC of Columbus since 2002. He made the change to protect the health of the turf, but notes, “It probably saved 20 to 25 percent of the water we use every year.”
Fargo CC raised its lowest fairways to handle flooding of up to 25 feet in the late 1990s. “That only lasted five years; then all of a sudden, our protection wasn’t good enough any more,” Vigen adds. “We’re looking at a renovation plan for the entire golf course to sustain [against] summer floods.”
The growth of cities in the watershed and a relatively young and winding Red River add to the flooding threat, he explains, by slowing water flow and trapping it on the course longer.
Education and altering public perception are vital to future water management, believes Smith. “We make a major impact on the community and the economy,” he warns. “If we can’t carry on business as usual, that impact will change.” The CC of Columbus employs 95 people, he notes, reflecting how the golf course industry as a whole provides jobs as well as scenery and recreation.
“I know the drought is not going to last forever—but the growth in Georgia is something that’s going to have to be dealt with,” says Smith. “I don’t think we can conserve our way out of this. We’re going to have to find more water.” C&RB
Reading the Patterns
Scott Stephens, an Asheville, N.C.-based meteorologist with the National Climatic Data Center, says the Southeastern drought has been more severe than in years past “as far as the water supply and demand are concerned.” However, dry conditions are part of the weather patterns, he notes, adding that Texas experienced a drought before this year’s wet spell. “That’s the way you end those kinds of cycles. I would expect the Southeast (drought) to end in the same kind of fashion,” he forecasts. Stephens says the lack of hurricanes and tropical storms prolonged dry conditions this year. The meteorologist also says scientists theorize that climate change will cause wild weather swings of frequent droughts and flooding. However, he says he cannot predict when or where these conditions will strike next. “I’d be a rich man if I could tell if it’s going to happen next year,” Stephens admits. “It takes quite a bit of time to recover—but we tend to come out of these kinds of things with as big a bang as we go into them.” |
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