Report to golf committee outdated by further flooding

When Golf Maintenance Director Keith Ihms gave his report to the Joint Advisory Committee on Golf on Wednesday, Oct. 9, he warned them that it was already out of date. Two days later, it was even further out of date.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, water again covered portions of the courses along Little Sugar Creek.

The course superintendents reported 4 to 4 1/2 inches of rain from the Thursday storm, but south of Bella Vista in the watershed that feeds Little Sugar Creek there was less rain, Ihms said. That probably made a difference.

By Monday, Oct. 14, water in the creek was still high, but Ihms had inspected bridges and structures around the course and didn't find additional damage. There was more rock and gravel on the courses, he said. Eventually, volunteers might be organized to hand rake some greens, but first the maintenance staff will use heavy equipment to clear what they can.

At Wednesday's committee meeting, Ihms reported flood damage from rains on Oct. 6. As the water receded, his staff was finding more damage, he explained.

At first, Ihms thought most of the damage was debris washed up on the courses. His staff was still collecting debris knocked down by an August 26 wind storm that felled trees all over the city, he said. He had contracted a tree service that agreed to come in to grind up the downed limbs. The good news, he said, was that the debris from the flooding could be added to the pile waiting to be ground.

By the time the committee met, three days after the Oct. 6 storm, Ihms had found two badly damaged cart paths. In both cases, the ground had washed out from under the concrete path. That meant neither the Country Club nor Scotsdale could be fully open for the coming weekend. On Monday, Oct. 14, Ihms hadn't scheduled the necessary repairs on either course and wasn't yet sure of the cost.

The weather also affected Darryl Muldoon's report about reopening nine holes at Berksdale. A 2017 flood reduced Berksdale to nine holes, but that portion closed earlier this year when damage to a golf cart bridge was discovered. After discussing the cost of repairing the bridge -- estimated at almost $300,000 -- the committee considered a plan to reopen the nine holes by using a section of the cart path for two way traffic. Muldoon had recommended some fencing be added for safety.

He was not able to get an estimate for the fencing, he said on Wednesday, because the fence companies are too busy to respond when he asks for bids. The fencing may be the most expensive portion of the project. The other costs for gravel, sand, path dividers and signs are estimated at about $16,000.

Once the costs are established, the committee will make a recommendation on the fate of Berksdale to the board.

General News on 10/16/2019