MYRTLE BEACH, SC- While many residents work to cleanup their homes, grounds crews work to cleanup local golf courses.
“The suns out, it’s a great day for golf in Myrtle beach,” said Founders Group International Director of Agronomy Max Morgan.
That might have been the case Tuesday, but Morgan says all 22 golf courses closed on October 3 due to flooding.
“This was a 500 maybe 1000 year rain event, so we don’t design with this kind of rain in mind, that’s why the water backed up,” he said.
Each course costs about $600,000 to maintain, according to Morgan. Thankfully, he says the flooding did not cause serious damage to the grass.
“It just got muddy and now it’s in the process of drying out,” he explained.
The prime fall golf season runs from the end of September to the end of November, so Morgan says it’s important to keep the courses open.
“We rent big diesel pumps and we put them where we can.”
Morgan says the worst flooding happens in the bunker.
“We have to go in and physically throw the sand up in many cases, lots of raking,” he said.
According to Morgan, Myrtle Beach National Golf Club was one of the hardest hit. The course reopened last Friday to golfers, but he says engineers will have to make some changes.
Aberdeen Country Club in Longs is the only course that still remains closed.
“That one is prone to flooding, because Buck Creek backs up and the Waccamaw River backs up,” he said. “We’re probably a week-10 days from opening that one.”
