As the sky turned darker, lightning started pelting the peaceful Grand Bear Golf Club while golfers continued playing the Saucier, Mississippi, layout’s 18 holes.
David Beanblossom, director of agronomy for Cabot-managed properties, and his team went into action, shuffling golfers off the Jack Nicklaus-designed course and making the rounds to check on everybody’s safety.
“It all goes back to we’re not going to jeopardize anybody’s safety, first and foremost,” says Beanblossom, whose role also involves overseeing agronomy at Serket Golf Club and Cascata Golf Club in Las Vegas and Chariot Run in southern Indiana.
Safety is always the most important factor when determining whether to close a course based on weather conditions. On that ominous Mississippi day, the Grand Bear staff escorted golfers to safe spots and eventually allowed them to resume play once the storm passed.
“It’s a matter of what time of day? What day is it? How many golfers are there? How’s this going to impact them? How it’s going?” says Beanblossom, listing considerations after safety when making weather-related decisions. “There’s just so many factors that go into it, but overall it would be golfer safety first, protecting the golf course second.”
Beanblossom keeps those specifications in mind, having previously served as superintendent at Chariot Run. The immediate safety of the four courses Beanblossom oversees rests on the shoulders of the general managers and superintendents.
Because Serket and Cascata are in Las Vegas, they hardly shut down because of the hot temperatures and constant sunshine, instead closing only for course maintenance.
“We never have closed for heat because they’re both kind of casino-driven hotels,” he says. “So, if the casino guests want to play, they can.”
Meanwhile, Chariot Run in Indiana, and Grand Bear, just 35 minutes from the Gulf Coast, experience heavy rainfalls during the spring and summer. Wetter conditions can cause Chariot Run to cease golf for a day.
For East Coast courses, Drew Thompson, superintendent and general manager of East Aurora Country Club in New York, has discovered that the duration of a course closure can vary.
“You can’t make a decision on what you’re going to do for your golf course based on what’s going on at mine,” he says. “That’s probably different in other parts of the country, but around here everybody’s different.”
Although the private course has been “pretty lucky,” as Thompson describes the lack of closures, he understands what factors determine how long courses will remain off limits to golfers. Because East Aurora was built on sand and gravel, the greens drainage can differ from neighboring courses.
East Aurora, which is around 25 minutes from downtown Buffalo, often avoids showers because of its proximity to Lake Erie. “They’re times where you’ll have an 80 percent chance of rain and you won’t get a drop,” Thompson says, “but five miles east of here will get a lot of rain, so it’s quite an interesting spot.”
To settle on closing the course, Thompson does a quick drive around. After 22 years at East Aurora, a close inspection of the grounds will help Thompson determine what the course will look like in an hour or two.
After arriving at the 18-hole course, Thompson thought he would spend five or seven years there, but now he laughs, “you would have to drag me out of here.” His appreciation for the course helps him understand what areas need more protection.
“We have to make our decisions, jobs that we’re going to do, those things every day based on the weather patterns and what the forecasts are,” he says. “You learn when to listen — and when not to listen — to weatherman.”
When storms strike, it’s no surprise that some golfers grow frustrated, wanting to finish out their tee times and dreading going back to their office jobs, but Thompson doesn’t encounter this type of golfer. Because he makes it a priority to remain open for as much of the season as possible without damaging the greens, members trust his choices. “Whether you like it, winter is coming at some point, and you got to make sure that people are getting their value of play,” Thompson says.
Any angry golfers, tossing their clubs in the air, might be shocked to learn that Thompson is not the only one who aims to keep his course open. Plenty of others also strive to remain up and running.
Brent Venenga, director of agronomy at GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness in South Dakota, jokes that he “pushes the envelope” for allowing golfers their tee times during colder temperatures when the ground is frozen.
“You could see a little damage to the turf, obviously, with ball marks on the greens, if they’re frozen,” he says. “Kind of a trade-off of getting people out there and being open for members and things like that.”
The two biggest factors that cause the six 18-hole public courses Venenga oversees to shut down are rain and cold conditions. “It could be that the forecast is calling for 50 degrees, but we have a 20 mile per hour northwest wind, and it’s not going to feel like 50 degrees,” Venenga says.
After getting about 2 inches of downpour around 5 p.m. on July 7, GreatLIFE closed its Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, South Dakota, for the rest of the evening, reopening at noon the following day to allow cart paths to dry out. “That’s two inches of rain in an hour,” he says. “It was pretty wet.”
Sometimes the balance of protecting both the course and revenue can be challenging when severe weather strikes. Dave Donner is Cleveland Metroparks director of golf operations. Despite working at the parks for nearly three decades, he still urges superintendents and general managers to not “be quick to jump” to a judgment call.
“Lot of times you can get a heavy storm at 3 o’clock in the afternoon,” he says. “Then it clears up by 5:30, and your evening leagues come in and you can still get those leagues out.”
Although the nine golf facilities Donner and his team oversee are dotted across northeast Ohio, they all still experience similar inconsistent forecasts, like a late May frost. “It’s very unpredictable as far as weather goes in those shoulder seasons,” he says, “but as you get into more of the summer, I think you’re just going to see a lot of warm, humid weather for the most part.”
Cleveland Metroparks course closures are often results of severe weather. For example, on Aug. 6, 2024, a tornado ripped through three courses, leaving debris and downed trees in its path. “We had to close a couple courses for the day. Even our back nine was closed while we got crew working to get that cleaned up to make it safe for our guests,” Donner says.
Donner views these experiences as educational opportunities, offering the chance to have conversations with golfers and help them understand why the courses will be shut down. Through these discussions, he can impart superintendent knowledge on course drainage. “Yeah, the five greens that are visible here from the clubhouse are clear, but maybe the ones down to the valley at the backside are not clear.”
Venenga understands the frustration golfers might face when stormy conditions cut rounds short, so he patiently explains the purpose behind the course closures. “I’ve been in that situation, on the opposite side: ‘It’s not that bad,’ or ‘I can go out there,’” he says. “You just have to make that decision.”
Venenga stresses listening to that gut feeling, communicating with everyone on staff and supporting the final call. “In the end,” he says, “we’re definitely all in it together to make the right decision.”
Although Thompson keeps an open-door policy, welcoming members to share their thoughts about his choice, he says it’s important to remember that they are opinions. “I can’t always let that affect my decisions because the decisions that I make are for the best of the course and the best of the club.”
While it’s important to ensure golfers’ happiness with quality conditions, Beanblossom notes that on the days with few golfers it may be better to shut down. “There’s no use keeping staff there and risking damage to the golf course for someone to golf after a huge rainfall,” he adds.
Whether communicating closures to staff or golfers, Thompson emphasizes the need for transparency. “The more information you can give them, the more transparent you can be about your decision-making process,” he adds.
Sure, determining to close can be challenging. But Beanblossom understands why it’s important to protect a course.
“We don’t want to send a golfer on a golf course that is not worth what they’re paying either,” he says. “So, let’s kind of protect on their interest as well.”
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