Source: The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.)
Every golfer who drives down Del. 7 has the same question. They see the pond, the bunkers, the lush grass, and they wonder: "When will it open?"
Bill Fasy, chief operating officer at Delaware Park, has a not-so-precise answer: "When it's ready."
White Clay Creek Country Club, the golf course under construction at Delaware Park in Stanton, is expected to open sometime this summer.
Mother Nature has the precise answer, and she couldn't be reached for comment. But after last week's rains, she seems to be saying, "Not yet."
"All our efforts and prayers are going into this," Fasy said Wednesday. "But every time I look out, it's rain for a week."
Construction began in February 2002, and Fasy hoped to open the course in August 2003. But, true to its name, White Clay Creek flows directly through the course. And after a heavy rain, it often has flowed over the course.
"There have been 20 flooding storms in the past 18 months," Fasy said. "Everybody is frustrated. I need sunshine ... today, tomorrow, for the next three months."
Mill Creek also flows through the course and has caused many flooding problems. Fasy is hopeful that a substantial stream restoration project that recently was completed on Mill Creek will limit further setbacks.
"Our tees and greens are in excellent shape," Fasy said. "I'll put my greens against those at Augusta, and I was at the Masters [on Tuesday]."
The clubhouse opened last week, serving lunch and dinner daily. The pro shop opened in December and is selling merchandise. And Dave Seeman, former head teaching professional at Wilmington Country Club, has been giving lessons as director of White Clay Creek's Golf Academy. Still, everybody wants to play.
"It's amazing how many calls we're getting," Seeman said last week. "We're really hoping to open this summer, but it has to be right before we'll open. It's going to be fabulous if we can get some decent weather."
Seeman has played the course and said it is "very demanding." From the back tees, the shortest of the four par-3s is 185 yards. The longest is a whopping 243 yards. But there will be five sets of tees, to allow golfers of all abilities to enjoy the course.
With two creeks running through the property, Fasy said the course's architects, Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates, knew drainage would be especially important. After several flooding rains last year, additional steps were taken.
"That's the reason we picked these architects," Fasy said. "... They are very good at building golf courses in a flood plain. We learned where to add additional drainage, and had to do some things that require more county approval and added time to the project.
"I think the drainage issues are pretty much known factors now. We know what we have to do to fix them."
But flooding continues to be unpredictable. The course experienced some flooding following a 2e-inch rain on March 28. But there was no flooding after the course received 4e inches of rain on April 2.
Fasy said the original cost of course construction was $8 million, but cleanup, stream restoration and additional drainage projects have added about $1.5 million to the project.
When White Clay Creek opens, a round will cost $110, including greens fees and cart. The course will add a valuable amenity to the horse racing and slots casino available at Delaware Park.
"All this rain is hurting the golf industry in our entire region," Fasy said. "There have been some operating losses because of the golf course, but it just makes sense to do it right."
When the time is right, Mother Nature will tell us.