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Hurricanes - Maybe Good From The Bad
Ridgewood Lakes Makes Improvements Along With Cleanup
By Ed Travis
DAVENPORT, Fla. - First it was Charley, then Frances, and as if to add insult to injury, Jeanne. Three major hurricanes in a six week period devastated large parts of Florida causing loss of life and hundreds of millions in damage. Virtually every home and business felt the effects, but for at least one golf course operation the situation has become an opportunity.
According to Brian Boeling, general manager of Ridgewood Lakes Golf and Country Club near Walt Disney World, "The hurricanes remodeled our golf course. However, we've bounced back and will be better than before."
The cumulative effect of the three storms meant the Ridgewood Lakes grounds staff had an enormous work load for the past several weeks; the first task being cleanup of thousands of limbs and some 144 trees knocked over by the 90+ mph winds. Dozens more trees that have been weakened but stayed upright may require removal in the future. Nature's pruning particularly of the mature oak trees that line the fairways has dramatically changed the playing characteristics of some holes.
The torrential rains accompanying the winds had an effect also, flooding several areas of the course. Fortunately none of the Ridgewood's greens were flooded but five fairways did stay under water for extended periods ranging from a few days to over a week. Boeling decided rather than simply replacing the sodden areas, he would use this as an opportunity to remodel and reconstruct these parts of the course.
For the major item in the project dirt will be trucked in and used to raise and recontour several fairways. Slopes and mounds will be created to provide both new landing areas but more importantly to raise the playing surfaces several feet for better drainage. Boeling called it a "two-fer", more fun for golfers and at the same time much improved handling of rain water.
But the work will not stop there; already crews have begun to enlarge and reshape many of Ridgewood's fairway bunkers with the goal of enhancing their visual characteristics and playability.
Also on the list of Ridgewood Lakes' losses are hundreds of the ornamental paspalum plants lining water hazards. After being under water for an extended period, much of this four-foot high grass has died and needs to be replaced at a considerable cost.
The total price tag? Boeling says the final numbers are not in yet but counting the $250,000 revenue loss while the course was closed during portions of August, September and October, the labor for the cleanup and the substantial cost of course remodeling, the final outlay will be over $1 million.
However, Boeling added, "We were fortunate. As bad as it was it's given us the chance to fix some problems. The clubhouse only had some water damage to the carpeting that will be replaced."
During the period the golf course was closed the greens keeping staff headed by Superintendent Hugh Lockhart got a jump on other tasks normally done in the fall such as preparing greens for the winter over seed of rye grass. Boeling said, "There is no worry about our greens, in fact since we have been closed they are in super shape, ready for the winter season."
Ridgewood Lakes is a ten-year old Ted McAnlis design with a reputation of being a tough test of golf due to the course's small greens and many water hazards. Since opening it has been a venue for both professional mini-tours and top local amateur events.
Members of the semi-private club understandably have been concerned about the many days the course was closed but one told this reporter he was not only happy to have the course back open but looking forward to the benefits of the reconstruction.
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