'Anything but normal': Wet summer takes toll on Kansas City golf courses
"I've been here for over 30 years too, and I'm not sure I've seen a Kansas City summer like this," said Doug Melchior, manager of golf and grounds for the city of Overland Park.
"I've been here for over 30 years too, and I'm not sure I've seen a Kansas City summer like this," said Doug Melchior, manager of golf and grounds for the city of Overland Park.
Tending to the tee box has not been the easiest this summer. Golf course maintenance teams across the metro have had their hands full.
Meticulous maintenance has been the hole-in-one for maintenance crews the past 30-45 days.
These golf maintenance crews often work sunup to sundown. Golf superintendents, who supervise the maintenance team, are often the first to arrive and the last to leave the golf course. Typically they work a 9-hour shift, but during summers like this, they are working a little overtime.
"I've been here for over 30 years too, and I'm not sure I've seen a Kansas City summer like this," said Doug Melchior, manager of golf and grounds for the city of Overland Park.
He said the heavy rain, humidity and heat have been rough.
"We've had an abundance amount of moisture, abnormal amounts of rainfall for this year, and so that has created a few challenges for us," Melchior said.
Too wet, not enough air and grass growing faster than a "fore!"
"With it being so hot, we're at a point where we can't apply our regular-scheduled fertilizer program to get them to grow, so we kind of move into survival mode," Melchior said.
His team has adjusted. That's included moving tee markers, implementing new mowing heights for the courses, more rolling the turf dry and aeration.
"I'm really proud of the staffs that I have at both facilities. They've done an outstanding job under some very adverse and very tough conditions," Melchior said.
Lee's Summit courses are also stuck in the bunker, so to speak. General manager of Shamrock Hills Golf Club Eric Reisner said, "This season has been anything but normal ... This is a perfect recipe for fungus, which makes it difficult to offer the best possible playing conditions/turf."
Raymore's Creekmoor Golf Club got hit hard by a storm the first week of August. Pictures from the club show tree limbs littering the fairway and golf cart paths.
On the plus side — golfers don't seem to be deterred by the weather.
Reisner said, "In fact, we're seeing a steady flow of players sunup to sundown."
Some golf courses have even added extra water stations and started offering ice towels to golfers to help them in the heat.
Golf managers tell KMBC 9 they're looking forward to smoother patches in the fall.
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