The bridge to the No. 16 island hole at The Falls CC in Lake Worth, Fla., was submerged following rainfall that accompanied Hurricane Irene.

Cleanup costs 2000 Leo Feser Award Candidate

Each year in South Florida the hurricane season brings anxious moments. Forecasters predict moderate to severe storms, but a hurricane's path and the extent of damage are unpredictable.

Hurricane Irene started in the Gulf of Mexico last fall and was slow to organize. As days passed, the storm reached the minimum winds of a Category 1 (75-94 mph) hurricane and was located on the western side of the Florida Keys. Having been through hurricane watches before, the residents weren't overly concerned, especially because the top winds were only 70-75 mph. Of course, Mother Nature has shown us many times that you can't always trust forecasters' predictions.

In the storm's path
On Thursday, Oct. 14, the rains began in Palm Beach County. As with other hurricanes that skirt Florida, the rains preceded the storm. Some storms bring more rain than others. Hurricane Floyd, which had struck two weeks earlier, brought very little rain -- in most areas less than an inch. Irene, on the other hand, did not have severe winds, but it was dumping serious rainfall.

By 4 p.m. Thursday, rain totals were up to 5.75 inches. Friday morning brought more rain and steadily increasing winds. After receiving another 1.75 inches, The Falls Country Club in Lake Worth was soaked and, of course, closed for play.

Using bunker rakes with front plows, two golf course employees at The Falls CC worked four full days to get the flooded bunkers into shape.

Because forecasters had predicted the storm would take a path up the western side of the state, no on-course preparations were needed or expected. The crew was sent home to take care of their homes and families. Some people were putting up shutters, but most were not.

By late Friday afternoon, Irene's path had changed, moving sharply to the northeast. Winds were still not very high, but the rains persisted. When I left the course late Friday afternoon, we had accumulated another 1.85 inches of rain. Total rainfall from the past day and a half was 11.35 inches. All the rain gauges were emptied at that time.

The Falls CC has a single water outfall structure that discharges into an adjoining canal. To prepare for large amounts of rainfall, the structure is opened. The canal's water level is controlled by the Lake Worth Drainage District, which falls under the auspices of the South Florida Water Management District. Both drainage districts anticipate storms and start lowering water levels if enough rainfall is expected, which was the case with Hurricane Irene. The normal lake level is 16 feet. The staff gauge at our outfall structure showed the water levels rising from the previous day's rainfall, and water levels were certainly going to rise a lot higher as the storm advanced.

While following the storm's progress at home, I realized that not only were we going to get a lot of rain, but Irene was heading right for us. As midnight approached, the storm track was dead on. Having been through hurricanes of this strength before, I was not greatly concerned about my house, but I was concerned about water levels and flooding.

Night passed, and power was lost in many areas. Constant wind and rain hammered all areas within 20-30 miles of the eye of the storm. By morning Irene had passed, and although winds were still 20-25 mph, the rains had stopped. It was now time to assess the damage.

Tree damage was extensive following the 70-mph winds of Hurricane Irene. In the background, a pine tree has fallen, which is unusual in Florida for any storm, says Stephen Pearson, CGCS at The Falls CC.

The morning after
Saturday, Oct. 16 was certainly a day to remember. I arrived at the course at 8:30 a.m., and damage from the rain was evident. The entrance road to the club was flooded, connecting the front-nine lakes to the back-nine lakes. Even with my truck it was slow going down the entrance road and the road to the maintenance facility.

A quick glance off the entrance road revealed that the course had sustained considerable tree damage. A lot of trees were down, and many had broken branches. Of course there was a lot of debris, but that is not unusual when any storm passes through because we have more than 3,000 palms and trees.

The only way to begin assessing the damage was to tour the course on one of our Honda four-wheel ATVs. With camera in tow, I navigated most of the course. Some areas were totally impassable. Our No. 16 island hole was truly an island as more than a foot and a half of water covered the bridge footers, and the decking was also underwater.

By afternoon the initial estimate was 130 trees and palms down. The staff gauge at the outfall structure read 19.8 feet. The rain gauges had overflowed at 6 inches. Based on my experience, I estimated we had received at least 8 to 10 inches the night before. With the waterlogged conditions and the damage from winds that had topped 70 mph, we prepared ourselves for extensive cleanup and tree removal.

Cleanup begins
Sunday was spent cleaning up debris that could be reached from golf car paths around the clubhouse.

We contacted the membership by phone messages and mailings to let them know the facility would be closed for at least a week. We didn't know how long it would take for the water to go down and then to get the course back into reasonable playing condition, so we decided one week was a reasonable goal.

Because we are a private club with stable finances, I was given the authority to seek extra help as needed. I hired additional temporary laborers, as well as a tree company that I had worked with before. The tree company would be needed once drier conditions would allow the use of heavy equipment.

By Monday morning the lake levels had subsided by 1 foot, and water was rapidly flowing out the outfall structure. The drainage districts had their gates wide open in an attempt to get the flooding down in nearby residential areas. Power was being restored in various areas fairly quickly. The clubhouse and maintenance facility got power back late Saturday. As was the usual procedure for storms, all our irrigation pumps, controllers and computers were shut down before the storm hit.

Six 30- to 40-foot black olive trees on the 18th fairway and driving range fell victim to Hurricane Irene's winds.

The staff was back in full force on Monday, and a plan was set to get the course ready for play. Staff members were assigned specific duties, which varied in the time and manpower needed.

Washed-out bunker repair. Using bunker rakes with front plows to push the sand back up, two staff members worked eight hours each for four days to bring the bunkers back into shape. Several areas where bunker lips had fallen would have to be addressed later.

Debris pickup and removal. It took the rest of the crew two full days to pick up debris on the course, which did not include any tree work. All debris was stored in the clubhouse parking lot and removed by an outside company. The process took about six weeks because the debris removal company was busy elsewhere.

Turf schedule. Until Wednesday the water had not subsided enough to even think of mowing a blade of grass. We mowed the tees on Wednesday. The greens were up and elevated, but there was no rush. On Thursday (eight days from the last time the greens were cut), we started mowing with the height raised to 7/32 inches. Because the fairways had been sprayed with Primo a couple of weeks before the storm, there was no hurry to mow them. The roughs had been cut to a lower height than we normally mow in the winter months, so they didn't need to be mowed either.

Tree work. It was established from the beginning that I would be the sole judge of whether a tree was to be put back up or cut down. Most of the trees selected for removal had shallow roots. Some were so badly damaged that it wasn't practical to put them back up. During the first week after the storm, we spent countless hours cutting the selected trees into workable logs. All material was cut and stacked for later removal. Tree stumps were left to be ground up. The course was still too wet to allow trucks, so all work was done with four-wheel vehicles and small utility vehicles.

By the end of the day Thursday we knew that, barring any further rainfall, a Saturday opening would be possible. We mowed the greens every day, and although the ground was still too soft for trucks, it would be all right for golf cars. The debris and the upheaval of sod and soil from the trees would be obstructions players could live with for a while. The tee through green areas were cleared and ready for play.

Although a total of 90 trees and palms had to be removed at The Falls CC, another 40 were raised and staked.

We reopened on Saturday, Oct. 23. This was the first real opportunity that members had to see the damage firsthand. They were appreciative of our work and understanding of the situation.

Continued repair
During the second week, we brought in the tree company's personnel and heavy equipment, including a large skid loader, a four-wheel-drive backhoe and the largest portable stump grinder I had ever seen. This grinder could reduce a 24-inch stump and the adjoining roots to sawdust in five minutes. The stump grinder operator was very skilled and ground out the stumps in two days.

Using the tree company's machines and operators and our own skilled operators and front-end loader, we were able to straighten and stake most trees and palms. We had some problems with a few of the 30- to 40-foot black olive trees that required severe pruning before we could raise and stake them. We also had six large coconut palms and one Washingtonia palm that needed several support stakes. In all, we cut down 90 trees and palms, and 40 were raised and staked.

By the end of the second week, all the trees were either put up or cut down. We started picking up logs and debris from the trees during the second week and finished in the third week. For two weeks we rented an additional stake truck to help with the logs and debris. All areas where trees were cut down were prepared for sod. Sodding took place in the third week.

By the end of the third week, most of the large areas of damaged turf were sodded. One full trailer (6,400 square feet) of Tifway 419 bermudagrass was used, but that wasn't enough. Another half-trailer load was ordered two weeks later to complete the sodding.

All the areas where trees were cut down were sodded approvimately three weeks after the storm. A full trailer (6,400 square feet) of Tifway 419 bermudagrass was initially ordered, but the course required another half-trailer to complete the job.

In addition to the turf and tree repair, all the other usual maintenance jobs had to be accomplished as well. We needed to plant our usual allotment of 8,000 winter annuals -- a task originally scheduled around the time the storm approached. Our supplier was also hit hard by the storm, so we didn't plant any flowers until the first week of November. The delay worked out well for both of us. Before the flowers were delivered, we had to prep all the beds with new potting soil, which took time and labor. Perennial plants that had drowned were pulled; the beds were prepped; and the plants replaced.

The damages and the additional expenses incurred from hurricane recovery were probably mild compared with some North Carolina courses. But from our club's perspective, the damages were very expensive, reaching more than $100,000 (see "Cleanup costs," p.136). Insurance will pay for some of the damage, but a special assessment to the membership will be necessary to cover the rest.

A month after the hurricane there was little evidence of Irene's impact -- other than the staked trees and a few golf holes that are more wide open. I decided to postpone replacing trees and palms until the spring, and even then we will change the locations and species of some trees. I plan to use more palms and deeper-rooting trees when we start planting.

It is important to recognize and thank my staff who worked so diligently. Club officials also deserve kudos for their patience and cooperation in giving me the latitude necessary to get the course back in shape. Recently members have told me how great the course looks and expressed their appreciation for a job well done.

Stephen M. Pearson is CGCS at The Falls Country Club in Lake Worth, Fla., and a 19-year GCSAA member.