As we get into the growing season, it also signals the start of the severe weather season. Last Friday afternoon, we were hit by a glancing blow from a severe thunderstorm cell, causing quite a bit of damage.
Thunderstorms are very hit and miss- for several years it
seemed as though we would miss most if not all of them, and the ones that did
cross the property were tame compared to their potential. Suddenly that has
changed over the last two years. Towards the end of July 2024 we were hit by a very strong
storm that toppled many trees, scattered debris across the property and
forced a center-wide closure for 2 days. Now, Mother Nature has struck again: a
strong storm swept through las Friday.
About 20 trees were taken out and many more branches and
smaller sticks were strewn across the ground. We did receive rain with the storm,
but bunkers did not wash out. Power was knocked out to the lower end of the
property- tennis, grounds, and the irrigation pump house- for 18 hours. This
power outage also caused the tennis bubble to deflate and remain closed for an
extended period of time.
Luckily, this storm was not as intense as the storm we
endured last summer. Fewer trees in total were lost, and many more that were
knocked down this time were in the native areas and much less impactful to
golf. The storm on Friday was also much smaller and more focused: hardly a
stick could be found on holes 4-9, while several trees fell on the driving
range, 17, 18, and tennis, while the 2024 storm left debris and downed trees
from one end of the property to the other.
Cleanup started immediately, and the golf course was able to
remain open throughout. With the help of our tree contractor, we will have most
of the cleanup done within a few days. We will leave some of the peripheral
debris for a later time- whether that is later in the season or even possibly
the offseason, depending on our priorities elsewhere.
One quick storm, moving through in minutes, can cause damage that lasts for days or weeks. This recent storm hit us earlier in the severe weather season compared to last year, which hopefully isn’t a sign of things to come. Cleanup will take time, and hopefully we don’t take another direct hit before our work is completed.
Etiquette Reminder of the Month
After filling your divot with sand, either on a tee or
fairway, please smooth the sand pile out so our mowers don’t cut through the
sand.
Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve
course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course
etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:
Ball
Marks - How to properly repair
See you on the course!
Joe
jvillegas@bwrc.org
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