Hurricane Wilma A Force On South Florida Golf Courses
The Nationwide Tour came and went without a competitive shot.
Now, Tom Neville mused, Hurricane Wilma might have left his course fit for a European Tour event.
``One more hurricane, and we might as well be a links course in Scotland,'' said Neville, Miccosukee Golf & Country Club of Florida general manager.
Extensive tree damage is the prevailing theme from South Florida's courses, keeping many locales closed a week after Wilma - even some where power has been restored.
``We still have some laying in the fairways right now, some covering up the cart paths,'' said Ernie Ruiz, director of golf at Don Shula's Hotel & Golf Club.
The Miami Lakes layout was one of the area's hardest-hit, with an estimated 200 trees knocked down.
Ruiz said it's possible the course could remain closed all of November.
``Hopefully, it won't be that long,'' he added, ``but we wanted to give plenty of cushion in case there's a change.''
Doral Golf Resort & Spa reopened the first of its five layouts Tuesday, sending golfers out on its Gold course.
The Silver and White courses were slated to open Wednesday; scheduled maintenance will keep the Blue Monster closed another week.
``This time we saw a lot more trees damaged - limbs snapped off, missing palm fronds,'' director of golf Darrin Helfrick said.
The resort was less than halfway through standing up trees felled by Hurricane Katrina when Wilma hit.
Indian Creek CC of Florida called off this week's Raymond Floyd Cup, a two-man event featuring some of the nation's top mid-amateurs.
The club reported a loss of 205 trees, and it won't be ready to reopen until Friday.
The LPGA's visit to Trump International Golf Club in two weeks should experience little impact.
The ADT Championship will be played Nov. 17-20, featuring the LPGA's top-30 money winners.
Despite losing some large oaks, the West Palm Beach venue completed cleanup in a few days and saw its power restored Sunday.
``Two days after the hurricane hit, you could have played the golf course,'' said John Nieporte, Trump's director of golf. ``The losses didn't really affect play of the course at all.''
Officials found their biggest concern in initial reports that power might not be restored in the area until Nov. 22.
``Now that would have caused some problems,'' assistant director Kevin Krisle said.
Now, Tom Neville mused, Hurricane Wilma might have left his course fit for a European Tour event.
``One more hurricane, and we might as well be a links course in Scotland,'' said Neville, Miccosukee Golf & Country Club of Florida general manager.
Extensive tree damage is the prevailing theme from South Florida's courses, keeping many locales closed a week after Wilma - even some where power has been restored.
``We still have some laying in the fairways right now, some covering up the cart paths,'' said Ernie Ruiz, director of golf at Don Shula's Hotel & Golf Club.
The Miami Lakes layout was one of the area's hardest-hit, with an estimated 200 trees knocked down.
Ruiz said it's possible the course could remain closed all of November.
``Hopefully, it won't be that long,'' he added, ``but we wanted to give plenty of cushion in case there's a change.''
Doral Golf Resort & Spa reopened the first of its five layouts Tuesday, sending golfers out on its Gold course.
The Silver and White courses were slated to open Wednesday; scheduled maintenance will keep the Blue Monster closed another week.
``This time we saw a lot more trees damaged - limbs snapped off, missing palm fronds,'' director of golf Darrin Helfrick said.
The resort was less than halfway through standing up trees felled by Hurricane Katrina when Wilma hit.
Indian Creek CC of Florida called off this week's Raymond Floyd Cup, a two-man event featuring some of the nation's top mid-amateurs.
The club reported a loss of 205 trees, and it won't be ready to reopen until Friday.
The LPGA's visit to Trump International Golf Club in two weeks should experience little impact.
The ADT Championship will be played Nov. 17-20, featuring the LPGA's top-30 money winners.
Despite losing some large oaks, the West Palm Beach venue completed cleanup in a few days and saw its power restored Sunday.
``Two days after the hurricane hit, you could have played the golf course,'' said John Nieporte, Trump's director of golf. ``The losses didn't really affect play of the course at all.''
Officials found their biggest concern in initial reports that power might not be restored in the area until Nov. 22.
``Now that would have caused some problems,'' assistant director Kevin Krisle said.
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