A golfer's biggest handicap -- rain -- is hurting business on public golf courses this season.
"It's been a mess," said Ozaukee County Parks Director William Knight.
The slump in business could also mean tougher times ahead for taxpayers in some counties as public finances grow tight without the usual revenue from golfers.
Milwaukee County Parks Director Sue Black said she has resorted to sending golf course employees home to save money on rainy days.
When rains returned Friday to threaten yet another afternoon on the county's 15 golf courses, Black said, she and other county park officials looked at one another in disbelief.
"This can't be happening," she said.
According to the National Weather Service, the Milwaukee area has been soaked with 14.2 inches of rain since May -- about twice the normal level of precipitation for this time of year. Rain is in the forecast for the weekend as well.
Golf is not the only outdoor activity getting washed out.
At the Cedarburg Outdoor Pool, rain combined with unseasonably cold weather have discouraged the usual throngs of swimmers and sun-lovers. In contrast to crowds averaging nearly 1,000 a day in recent years, the municipal pool is drawing just 570 a day this summer.
Cedarburg Parks and Recreation Director Raymond Maurer said the poor turnout among patrons paying $2.25 to $7 each will hurt the bottom line for the city and Town of Cedarburg, which own the pool jointly.
"It's bad news for both," he said.
Some golf course operators remain optimistic that the season can be salvaged.
Jim Ehnert, supervisor at the Wanaki Golf Course in Menomonee Falls, said he hopes to see big crowds on the links by September, allowing the Waukesha County-owned course to recover from a 20% dip in sales.
During one cloudy stretch in May, Wanaki was closed for eight days straight.
"It was pretty frightful," Ehnert said. "It took its toll on us for a while."
However, some hard-core golfers, undeterred by soggy shoes, have thumbed their nose at the rain and dragged their clubs out into the puddles.
Whitnall Golf Course in Franklin is keeping pace with last year in the number of rounds played, although cart rentals have declined because the carts cannot navigate a flooded course.
Bob Neumann, chief golf pro at the Milwaukee County-owned course, said lost revenue on cart rentals is being offset somewhat.
"We're selling a lot of raincoats," he said.
Black said other Milwaukee County golf course employees have been sent home on rainy days, saving the county about $600,000 so far, and bolstering hopes that the season will not be a total washout -- at least not financially.
Ozaukee County, on the other hand, is bracing for the budget-writing equivalent of a penalty stroke.
With business lagging by 10% on Ozaukee County's two courses, Knight said revenue is down $130,000, and he sees little hope of catching up. Aggravating the problem is the fact that more rain means more staff time needed to trim the lawns.
"It's costing us more, and we're not getting the golfers," he said. "It's something we probably won't be able to recover from."
Jim Metzger, the Racine County park planning manager, said it was too early to tell whether a 3% dip in business at the two golf courses owned by Racine County would create a financial pinch.
But Metzger agreed that the pesky rain is a concern.
"We've just got to cope with it," he said, "and hope that tomorrow is better."
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wis.)