Whitetail Ridge Golf Course in Yorkville has been able to weather this summer of heavy rains and big storms fairly well so far, according to the course management. (Credit: www.whitetailridgegolfclub.com).

Many golf courses across the state have had a difficult summer due to the soggy conditions.

Some courses in Kendall County, however, avoided any prolonged stretches where they had to shut the course down and avoided major damage.

“It hasn’t been as bad as it could be,” said Brad Doyle, the general manager and PGA Master Professional at Fox Bend in Oswego. “A number of our holes are in a flood plain. We’ve gotten 15 inches plus (of rain) in the last few weeks. The creek can overflow. We’ve only been closed for two days.”

Fox Bend, which is owned and operated by the Oswegoland Park District, and several other local courses were the beneficiary of some weather anomalies. While the rain has hit the county hard, the major storms broke up before reaching Fox Bend, for example.

“All of these storms got to Yorkville and break up around us,” Doyle said. “From that standpoint, we’ve been somewhat fortunate. Still a tough year with the weather, but better than what it could have been.”

Doyle points out that last year’s major golf course weather issue was melting the snowpack after a frigid winter.

“If you compare it to last year, it’s night and day,” Doyle said. “There was so much dead grass last year. This year, the snow evaporated. It was a light pack. When it thawed, we were dry right away. Last year, we couldn’t start our regular season rates until the second week of June. We were in mid-April like normal this year.”

Despite not having crippling damage to the course, both Fox Bend and Whitetail Ridge in Yorkville have felt the sting on the bottom line to a degree.

“Obviously we’re 100 percent dependent on the weather,”  Patrick MacDonald, Whitetail Ridge head golf professional, said. “Once a tee time goes unused, you can’t get it back. We only lost nine holes for one afternoon. We’ve been much luckier than some of our other friends in the business. It’s affecting us a little bit, but we’re hanging in there just fine.”

Doyle notes that some of the cold weather in the spring and rainy weather in the summer has landed on inopportune days for the course.

“A lot of it has been on the weekends,” Doyle said. “Revenue-wise, we’re doing all right. It’s not what I budgeted, but we’re holding our own. Our rounds are close to the same (as 2014). The comments I’m getting is that the course is in great shape, with the exception of the bunkers (which have taken on water). Everything is lush.”

MacDonald knows that his course has been fortunate in its eight years of existence, but knows that could all go away with one bad storm.

“We’re eight years open and eight years not flooded,” MacDonald said. “We’re in a flood plain. If it comes, we’re going to get it. Luckily, it’s been breaking up before it gets us. If we got the same amount of rain as everybody else, we’d be in the same boat, literally.”

Doyle knows that Fox Bend and every other course in the state isn’t out of the woods yet, however.

“We typically have two floods a year,” Doyle said. “Late summer will kill us more. With the extreme heat, the water is just sitting there. It just cooks the grass. Our turf loss has been minimal (this year). We’re hopeful that we don’t get that flood later in the year.”

Whitetail Ridge Golf Course in Yorkville has been able to weather this summer of heavy rains and big storms fairly well so far, according to the course management. (Credit: www.whitetailridgegolfclub.com).