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Flooding in the Heartland
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A rough mower sits inundated in flood waters that developed in June at Jewell (Iowa) G&CC. Iowa was one of many Midwestern states affected by major flooding this summer. Photo courtesy of Iowa GCSA and Brian Abels, Jewell G&CC |
Superintendents in the Midwest who experienced the so-called 500-year flood of 1993 may have thought it’d be five centuries until the next flood of its size arrived. But only 15 years after the “Great Flood,” another record-setting flood occurred in late May and June, drenching golf courses in parts of Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota and more.
At Kestrel Ridge Golf Club in Columbus, Wis., about 25 miles northeast of Madison, 14 holes and four greens were completely under water after receiving 10 inches of rain on June 7 and 8. Compounding the problem, says David Boyce, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Kestrel Ridge, was that the flood gates on nearby Lazy Lake were opened. But that was minor compared to a bigger issue they were facing on the course.
“We had to evacuate 120 people from an apartment right on the edge of the golf course, and they used our golf course for the boat landing,” the six-year GCSAA member says. “I was backing boats into the water so they could rescue the people. They were taking boats right down the middle of the fairway.”
During the 10 days the course was shut down, Boyce and two others took a tractor and trailer out to the greens to mow them with walking mowers. The situation looked better in mid-July, but evidence of the damage remains.
“Right now, we’ve got eight to 15 acres of grass that (are) really hurting because of silt and everything on our fairways…where the water sat the longest,” he says. “We will do some renovating there in the fall. We already went through with an aerifier, and we’ll see what comes back.”
Further south, in Jewell, Iowa, Brian Abels, superintendent at Jewell Golf and Country Club and a four-year member of GCSAA, had been preparing for a golf tournament on the day the torrential rains came, pouring down 5 inches on June 8. The region to the north of the course received around 6 to 7 inches, which came tumbling southward toward Jewell.
Abels fared better than most, he says, because a ditch that runs right alongside the golf course collected much of the water. Still, the course closed for about a week.
Terry Wylie, CGCS at Midland Hills Golf Course in Makanda, Ill., just south of Carbondale, said heavy rains — including 12 inches in one day — caused serious erosion problems with gravel car paths and he’s still working to repair all the damage.
The city of Davenport, Iowa, is currently bidding the cleanup and renovations of its golf courses and park spaces affected by the flood, says Troy Evans, the senior golf manager for the city’s parks and recreation department and a Class A member of GCSAA. Credit Island Golf Course and a 300-acre park, both located on an island in the Mississippi River, were completely submerged twice this year, the 17-year GCSAA member added, once by a 19.2-foot crest in late April and later by a 21.5-foot crest on June 16.
The city’s Duck Creek Golf Course was also closed for seven days because of flash flooding on June 12.
Recent research on growing the game of golf, conducted by Frankly Golf, identified the three biggest reasons that golfers are leaving the game — time, cost and difficulty. The goal of the study, which garnered 14,420 responses, was to examine what motivates and interests golfers about the game with the aim of making it more enjoyable to a wider audience. Other results of the survey showed that most golfers prefer to play courses that are shorter than those presently being designed. Most important to golfers were the connection with the golf course environment, good shots and the challenge of the game. Patriot Golf Day will be celebrated Aug. 29-Sept. 1 this year. The event, inspired by Capt. Dan Rooney, a PGA professional and USGA member, and supported by the PGA of America and the USGA, raises money to support families of veterans who have been injured or who died in the line of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Last year, the inaugural Patriot Golf Day was held at more than 3,200 facilities and raised more than $1.1 million. |
