Damages Vary at Local Golf Courses

Last month’s heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding delivered a financial hit of varying degrees to area golf courses, the hardest absorbed by those in Bella Vista.

Tommy Bailey, general manager of the Bella Vista Property Owners Association, reports it will cost more than $620,000 to repair damage caused by the recent floods. Much of that total is tied to four of the Village’s seven golf courses — Kingswood, Berksdale, Country Club and Scotsdale.

Those courses, according to a news release, all suffered irrigation damage estimated at a combined $173,000.

The cost to repair the 10 course areas that suffered the worst erosion problems is $134,000.

Cart path repairs and replacing other damaged items including ball washers, benches, tee and yard markers and sod has a price tag of $163,000.

At Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club in Fayetteville, general manager Mark Brouwer said the brunt of the flooding was confined to the driving range, which was closed for five days, and to the right side of No. 18 fairway.

Any damage estimates, Brouwer said, were minimal. After the height of the flooding on April 25, Stonebridge was open for play by noon the following day.

“Roundwise we didn’t lose a lot; we were probably down maybe 15 to 20 percent,” he said. “The greens didn’t suffer any damage. Some of our bunkers were washed out, but we have fixed those.”

The course at Paradise Valley Golf & Athletic Club in Fayetteville was closed for several days due to the flooding and saturation. The front nine was re-opened on April 28, the back nine the following day.

Damage there, too, was mainly confined to the bunkers. Most had to be replaced and some minor concrete work was needed to repair a handful of bridges.

Damage estimates were not disclosed by general manger Al Sexton.