Golf Course Storm Update

The storm that hit Tuesday afternoon caused significant damage to trees on the golf course, with nearly 80 trees being affected to some degree. At this point, there is still many large limbs hanging from trees that need to be removed before we can safely open the golf course.

The storm brought 70+ MPH winds that came ripping through the valley, snapping the tops of pines, uprooting hardwoods, and sent branches and limbs flying across the course. Most of the damage is in the 3, 4, 6, 17, corridor but there really wasn’t any section of the course that was not affected. The ridge had several large trees come down blocking access to the ridge. We were able to secure a tree service Tuesday night after the storm and they were here first thing Wednesday morning to assist with the cleanup. They are now contracted to do the full cleanup of the course and expect to be here at least 3 weeks.

The storm knocked out power to all areas of the club as well as the pump station. The result was going without water for almost 2 full days with temps over 90. We had a generator on its way when power was restored to the pump station and I could go out and hand water greens. The result of the high temperatures cause the collars to lose turf in several areas. We are working on getting these areas recovered as quickly as possible. Greens got a little banged up as well but not as bad, now that were back to watering regularly they should bounce back.

Wednesday we had my full team, the pro shop staff, sales department, pool shack staff, and f&b staff out getting all the sticks and branches cleaned up that we could. At this point, the course is mostly clean of sticks and small debris, which has allowed us to resume mowing. Getting the big limbs and trees off the course is the priority right now and access to each are has caused the job to move slower than anticipated. However, our tree contractor is great and we are a priority for them, there is just a lot to do out there.

Below are a few photos of the critical areas that need to be cleaned up before we can open the course.