Divot Mix

If a course needs to be in great condition to be played effectively, then the design strategy is flawed. -- Tom Watson

The aftermath of hurricane Charley

When hurricane Charley ripped through Florida last week, the first concern was the loss of lives and homes with early estimates of 26 lives lost and property damage approaching $19 billion.

But in the coming weeks, Florida golf course superintendents have to deal with the damage to their courses. The widespread damage has slowed the flow of news out of the region, but it's clear that there is a lot of cleanup work to be done.

Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, home to many foreign golfing greats like Ernie Els and Annika Sorenstam, is located just east of the Orlando International Airport. The airport reported gusts of 105 mph during the storm. Brett Harris is superintendent at Lake Nona. It took a full day just to clear away the trees blocking the entrance to the enclave of upscale homes in the area.

But storms like this are never predictable. Brothers Bill and Tom Stine, who have operated golf courses for 25 years, own three courses in Charlotte Harbor, 3 miles from Punta Gorda. They also own two courses in Osceola County -- including Kissimmee Bay Country Club, which lost dozens of course-defining oak trees, sustained significant clubhouse damage and had a bridge washed out.

"What are the odds? We own five courses in the state, and the hurricane hit all five of them," Tom said.

At Kissimmee Bay a stand of old-growth oak trees that defined the first three holes was savaged, he said.

"What are you supposed to do, replant them and wait 100 years for them to grow back?" Bill Stine lamented.

Another superintendent whose golf course took a direct hit was Steve Ciardullo of the Mountain Lake Golf Club, Lake Wales, Fla. After Charley passed through Punta Gorda, Lakes Wales was the next populous area in its path.

According to Ciardullo, winds of 130 to 135 miles per hour were recorded, and the damage to his course showed it. "More than 2,000 trees were uprooted, destroyed or damaged beyond recovery," he said.

"This is an old course, built in 1916, so we have thousands of old trees on it, many of them 50 to 80 feet tall. We have lots of live oaks that are more than 100 years old, many of which were uprooted, and the wind just snapped pine trees in half. I estimate that we lost about 30 percent of our trees."

On the other hand, Walt Disney World, with 99 holes of golf, has the greatest acreage in the area, but the resort was only nicked by the storm, relatively speaking. Lee Rawls, Disney's director of golf, said the resort lost roughly 200 trees on each course, but few that should affect playability.

For a report by writer Steve Elling visit the Orlando Sentinel.

The Florida Turfgrass Association has created a site to handle responses to requests for cleanup assistance. The site offers a place to ask for assistance, and a listing of those who need help. To do either, visit ftga.org/charley/askforhelp.htm.

Urban golf: the return of the featherie?

More than 100 years after its demise, it looks like the featherie might be making a comeback, thanks to an urban version of the game of golf.

According to the BBC, it's taking off in European cities, and there's even a few serious competitions conducted.

These courses, obviously, aren't noted for their quality of turf, so players get to bring along a square of artificial turf. But where urban golfers take a real turn away from the modern grass-course golfer is in their selection of golf balls.

Instead of looking for the latest, and longest, balls, they opt for something a little less harmful to their course's hazards, which can include buildings, vehicles, and people. Some use a leather-covered ball filled with goose feathers, which sounds suspiciously like the featherie of the late 19th century.

Others opt for a variety of foam balls that allow play to proceed safely in an urban environment.

Mona gets dual honors

GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE, has once again been chosen by Crittenden GolfInc . magazine as one of the "Most Powerful People in Golf."

Mona, GCSAA chief executive since December 1993, was first named by the magazine as one of the industry's "Most Powerful People in Golf" in 2001 and "Most Dynamic Movers & Shakers" in 1999. For the fourth consecutive year, he joins 24 others on the list in Crittenden's July 2004 edition, including: professional golfers Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods; Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner; David Fay, United States Golf Association executive director; Dana Garmany, chairman and CEO of Troon Golf; and Tom Fazio, golf course architect, among others.

The magazine's "Most Powerful" list include individuals who have the ability to influence the development and building, the financing and the revenue streams of golf courses and golf organizations around the nation. The decisions they make impact virtually every course in the nation, either directly or indirectly.

"It comes as no surprise that Steve has again been named as one of the most powerful individuals in golf," said GCSAA President Mark Woodward, CGCS. "His leadership and knowledge of the golf industry has helped GCSAA to become the successful association it is today."

Mona was also elected to serve on the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Board of Directors at the association's annual meeting in Minneapolis, on Aug. 16. The ASAE, located in Washington, D.C., is an individual membership organization made up of roughly 22,000 association executives and suppliers. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies, and voluntary organizations across the United States and in 50 countries around the globe. It also represents suppliers of products and services to the association community. For more visit www.asaenet.org.

In addition to his role at GCSAA, Mona is active in the administration of the game as a member of the First Tee Advisory Committee, the World Golf Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the National Golf Foundation Board of Directors and the National Golf Course Owners Association Advisory Committee.

In the fall of 1999, he was selected to serve along with golf's top allied association leaders on the executive board of the Golf 20/20 initiative. In 1999, Golf Digest listed Mona as the 25th most powerful person in golf. At that time, only one person younger than Mona, Tiger Woods at No. 2, was ranked higher.

Mona is active in the Kansas City-Lawrence metropolitan region, and has served as president of the Kansas City Society of Association Executives. He was honored by the group as its "Executive of the Year" in 1997.