Many properties in Florida, including The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, The River Club and Legacy Golf Club in Bradenton, and Crosswinds GC in Savannah, Ga., have reopened following minimal damage from Hurricane Irma. The Wilderness at Lake Jackson (Texas) showed creative thinking in preparation for Hurricane Harvey by positioning its equipment on elevated points on the golf course to keep them dry.
Golf property and organization updates continue come in relating to Hurricane Irma in Florida and Hurricane Harvey in Texas, including these reports:
—Topgolf is partnering with Feeding America, an organization that provides water, meals and cleaning supplies to families affected by disasters. Coincidentally, this partnership comes during Hunger Action Month, and Topgolf has donated $75,000 to the North Texas Food Bank, which will provide meals to more than 225,000 people in need.
Disaster relief donations for victims of Harvey and Irma can be made here.
—The Wilderness at Lake Jackson (Texas) saved its golf carts and maintenance equipment from Hurricane Harvey with some creative thinking, parking the equipment in a circle on elevated points on the golf course, keeping them dry while the course was covered in flood water.
Amazing! The Wilderness at Lake Jackson in Texas expertly planned ahead before Harvey to save their cart fleet and maintenance equipment. pic.twitter.com/5szPl6UW8N
— kempersports (@KemperSports) September 12, 2017
The Wilderness is about 50 miles south of Houston and experienced massive flooding. While workers were able to save carts and equipment, the golf club doesn’t expect to have people on the green any time soon.
“Due to the effects caused by Hurricane Harvey, The Wilderness Golf Club is temporarily closed for clean-up,” the course wrote on its website. “Well wishes and speedy recovery to all affected by the hurricane.”
—The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Fla., has worked to clear the property and surrounding roadways of scattered debris to restore limited service operations as of September 15. The property will be fully operational, to include its 10 food and beverage outlets, by Saturday, September 16.
—Crosswinds Golf Club was the only public course in Chatham County, Ga., open on Wednesday, less than two days after Hurricane Irma moved through the area, Savannah (Ga.) Now reported.
Crosswinds head pro Trey Lamberth received phone calls Tuesday from student athletes asking when the Tigers’ home course would reopen. Aside from debris, a handful of trees and some wet areas from four to five inches of rain, there wasn’t much to clean up, Lamberth said. For the Savannah golfing community as a whole, Irma’s damage was minimal, Now reported.
—Hurricane Irma’s damage to The River Club and the Legacy Golf Club, two Lakewood Ranch golf courses in Bradenton, Fla., was minimal, the Bradenton Herald reported.
The two courses were among several open for play Wednesday as Manatee County continues the cleanup, power restoration and return to normalcy in the wake of Irma, which brought gusting winds and rain as it barreled past Florida’s Suncoast late Sunday and early Monday, the Herald reported.
“We were lucky,” Legacy General Manager Kevin Paschall said. “When it moved east, it obviously missed this part of us.”
Paschall said there was no structural damage, just fallen trees and some standing water. The total Irma recovery cost is still under an assessment process. That course, as well as The River Club to the north, was reopened Tuesday. Paschall said they had 71 rounds on Tuesday, while The River Club produced 30 rounds, owner Mike Pascuzzi said.
The River Club saw two dozen trees fallen, though suffering minimal damage, and Pascuzzi said it will take a couple weeks to fully clean up, which will cost the course between $15,000 and $20,000, the Herald reported.
Moccasin Wallow Golf Club in Palmetto, Fla., doesn’t have power and saw 53 trees, 35 of which are big oaks, fall down. “It will take about 10 days to clean up,” owner and head pro Noah Zelnik said.
The club suffered food loss, sand loss from bunkers, lake erosion and minimal damage to the clubhouse. Nothing structurally was damaged to the clubhouse, Zelnik said. The course opened in 24 hours after receiving a permit to the grounds in February, so a quick hustle to restore things isn’t out of the ordinary, the Herald reported.
The Links at Greenfield Plantation in East Manatee County opened Wednesday after suffering minimal damage and took in 60 rounds. Pinebrook/Ironwood Golf Club, the Preserve Golf Club at Tara, River Strand Golf and Country Club, Terra Ceia Bay Country Club and Waterlefe Golf and River Club also sustained minimal damage and are open for play, the Herald reported.
River Wilderness Golf and Country Club, a private course in Parrish, saw 40-45 members help staff on cleanup in Irma’s wake. The course saw 20-25 big oaks fallen as well as debris, River Wilderness golf professional Pat Walsh said. In all, though, most courses saw a big break with Hurricane Irma, the Herald reported.
“We were very, very fortunate,” Walsh said.
—Streamsong Black officials have reported little damage to its new Gil Hanse-designed course, which officially opens September 29, Golf Digest reported.
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Red course and Tom Doak’s Blue course will re-open later this week after some minimal damage. Director of Golf Scott Wilson shared a few post-Irma images on Instagram:
Clubs on the West Coast, such as Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Fla., were not as lucky. The club experienced significant damage, according to someone with knowledge of the club. And TPC Sawgrass, host of the annual Players Championship, experienced some damage, but not enough to affect the running of the 2018 Players, Golf Digest reported.
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