Oakbourne Country Club, Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club, and Farm d’Allie Golf Club are now operational, with the exception of the 13th hole at Oakbourne, which was under as much as 7 feet of water at the highest point of flooding.
Oakbourne Country Club, Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club, and Farm d’Allie Golf Club in the Lafayette, La., area along the Vermilion River that were hit hard by the recent flooding in the state are now operational, with the exception of one hole, the Lafayette-based Advertiser reported.
The 13th hole at Oakbourne runs directly along a small flood plain on the banks of the Vermilion River across from the airport. Course superintendent Jason Barras said parts of the course were as much as 7 feet under water at the highest point of the flooding, the Advertiser reported.
“I came out here on Saturday when the rain stopped, and when I looked, I thought this isn’t too bad,” Barras said. “On Monday, it had risen several feet.”
Many of the course’s electronic sprinkler systems are elevated several feet off the ground, but many of those went under water. More notably, the 13th green stayed under water for more than a week, but Barras and the Oakbourne staff spent untold hours and used some unique methods to save the turf from both drowning and “burning” from sitting in standing water, the Advertiser reported.
“They did some unbelievable things,” said General Manager Greg Klemp.
Oakbourne operated as a nine-hole course for more than a week and steadily added holes as they were ready for play, up to its current 17-hole layout. The opening of the 13th hole back for play should come in the very near future and easily in time for the course to host the Louisiana Golf Association’s Senior Amateur on a rescheduled October 20-22 weekend.
Both the Le Triomphe development and the golf course had water issues, but the course was back up and functioning one week after the flooding. The entire club staff spent significant time cleaning up trash and debris on the course and made it possible to open a couple of days ahead of its original target re-opening, the Advertiser reported.
The backed-up flood waters also affected Farm d’Allie and kept that layout closed for an extended time when the water from the Vermilion basin stubbornly refused to recede, but the golf course is also back and open for business, the Advertiser reported.
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