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Severe weather poses a constant threat to golf courses and driving ranges. Damage sustained from Hurricane Helene in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, for example, decreased rounds 10 to 15 percent in September 2024 — a prime example of how a single catastrophic weather event can impact golf courses and revenue.
According to Sentry’s recent C-Suite Stress Index, more than 65 percent of business leaders fear the next major weather event could force their company to close for good. That concern is even higher among businesses with fewer than 50 employees, like many golf courses across the country.
Severe weather season arrives as golf course operators are busy getting courses in playing condition and preparing to welcome patrons for spring and summer play. That prep must include golf course storm preparation as severe weather events are expected to become more frequent and intense.
The more prepared you are, the better your course will fare when damaging weather arrives. Prioritize these golf course risk management strategies to give your grounds — and business — the best chance of weathering the storm:
Conduct a hazard assessment of weather events for your area
Get a clear understanding of the specific types of weather-induced damage your course is most likely to sustain in a weather event. If your course is near a body of water, for example, a severe convective storm could flood your fairway and greens. But if you’re in an arid region, lack of precipitation and drought could increase the risk of wildfire. Your course’s specific weather-related risks should inform your tailored emergency response plan.
Develop a course-specific emergency response plan and execute on it
Base the plan on findings from your hazard assessment and account for the specific landscaping elements on your property. Get emergency response service contracts in place and keep their contact information up to date so you can quickly activate resources — the more time you spend gathering equipment and personnel during an active weather event, the more potential you have for serious damage. If your course is at risk of flooding, you could lose power for an extended period. Identify backup generator suppliers and contract with them ahead of time should you need to move standing water off the course or restore power to other critical infrastructure Store pumps and hoses onsite.
Establish an emergency notification system for your course
Severe weather can occur in a matter of minutes, and golf course grounds are expansive by design. Implement a notification system through audible alerts, a phone app and an emergency text messaging system that can alert patrons of an imminent storm and direct them to a nearby shelter or the clubhouse. If you don’t have an alert system, create a company policy that directs starters to swiftly patrol the course and alert all players to get to safety when severe weather is imminent. Be proactive when golfers come on inclement weather days by alerting them to the potential for severe weather and noting where storm shelters are located throughout the course.
Designate a safe area for your mowers, golf carts and other equipment
Equipment is a major source of loss for courses exposed to flooding, wildfire and high wind weather events. It’s critical to have a safe place to store this vital and expensive equipment during a storm. If you don’t have a suitable storage facility on site, identify a storage solution close by and prearrange equipment transportation to be used in the event of a weather emergency. At the very least, move equipment to high ground to avoid flood damage.
Create a defensible space around your course as a buffer from severe weather
Wildfires in Colorado, for example, can ignite all the fuel on a mountaintop and spread down the mountains quickly, especially when accelerated by strong spring winds. Reduce the spread of wildfire by creating a barrier around your course with limited wood structures and other ignitable materials. Similarly, you can place temporary or permanent perimeter flood barriers to help prevent floodwaters from permeating your grounds. If you’re designing a new course or making upgrades to an existing one, consider what modifications can help create a defensible space for your specific weather threats.
Maintain your irrigation systems to mitigate damage.
If flames are spreading across fairways and greens, your irrigation system will need to churn a lot of water to reduce the spread. If your system has maintenance issues, it won’t be able to sustain the added pressure, and you’ll lose this critical line of defense. Or, if heavy rain floods your grounds, you’ll need to quickly turn irrigation systems down or off in certain areas to avoid burning out pumps. Consider an irrigation solution equipped with a smart-phone application that makes it easy for someone to change watering patterns from anywhere.
Plan for business continuity after a severe weather event
As damaging weather events increase in frequency and severity, your grounds are at significant risk of short- and long-term damage. Pair risk management with a solid business continuity plan — work with your insurer to help protect profits, support employees and get your course operating again after a disaster.
Review your insurance coverages now — including business interruption, general liability, premises and operations liability, and commercial property — to help ensure your course is protected from weather-related financial losses this season.
Daniel Grant is director of corporate safety services for Sentry Insurance. Sentry insures golf courses throughout the United States, and is the Official Insurance Partner of the USGA, along with the title sponsor of The Sentry, a signature PGA Tour event. Learn more at sentry.com.
