Sacramento's golf course owners and operators, already struggling to attract golfers, now have a new worry: the deadly West Nile virus.
Mosquito abatement officials say they've stepped up surveillance of the region's golf courses since state officials confirmed last month that the virus has surfaced in Sacramento County.
Although area golf shops report selling more insect repellent, they say golfers seem unfazed by the threat of West Nile virus. Course operators, fighting a nationwide golf slump and a glut in the number of courses around the capital region, hope golfers stay that way.
"I'm not worried about it," said Mike Reims, a 35-year-old Elk Grove resident who plays at Wildhawk in southeast Sacramento County. "There are plenty of other things in life to worry about. I'm not going to let a mosquito steal my hobby."
West Nile virus has moved steadily across the country since it first appeared in New York City in 1999. It is carried by mosquitoes whose bites can infect birds, horses and humans.
Two Northern California residents are the first humans to have tested positive for the virus in an area north of Fresno County who contracted it in the region. State tests are pending to confirm the cases.
The first cases in Sacramento County surfaced last month in seven birds and an Elk Grove horse. Since then, El Dorado County reported one bird with the disease, and Sutter County has found the virus in three mosquito surveillance pools.
West Nile virus can cause flulike symptoms: headaches, fever and soreness. Less than 1 percent of people exposed to the virus develop brain swelling that can be fatal. About four of every five people who contract the virus display no symptoms.
Golf courses in the South and Southwest have been dealing with the virus for more than a year. Several said they've seen no fall-off in business.
Even in Shreveport, La., where warm summer rains create ideal nesting grounds for mosquitoes, manager Ted Bodie said the number of golfers at Huntington Park Golf Course hasn't diminished.
"The mosquitoes really come out when it rains in June, but we had the pest control district come out and spray," Bodie said. "We're slow because we're always slow, but nobody stayed away (because of West Nile)."
Golf course operators in Sacramento and the surrounding area hope that fear of West Nile virus doesn't take a bite out of an already stagnant industry.
The number of golfers in the Sacramento region has remained fairly static in recent years at about 140,000, said Rhonda Richards of Golf Sacramento, which promotes the area as a destination for out-of-town golfers.
But the number of local courses has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, from 23 in 1990 to 43 in 2002, as the U.S. golf industry anticipated a growing interest among baby boomers that never developed.
A national and local golf course glut has sparked fierce competition, with many operations offering discounted fees, complimentary carts and free meals, according to a study commissioned by Golf Sacramento.
"Overall, Sacramento golf is pretty flat," said Jeff Wilson, who manages three Sacramento-area courses for ClubCorp Golf, including Turkey Creek Golf Club in Lincoln and Granite Bay Golf Club. "The Sacramento market has made such a swing over the years, from not having enough courses to having too many."
Some courses could find their locations near mosquito breeding grounds to be a competitive disadvantage, particularly those carved out of the area's irrigated fields and wetlands.
"There are some golf courses that are especially susceptible to mosquito populations, depending on what is next to them," said David Brown, spokesman for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. "We've been working with those courses, but they'll never be mosquito-free."
For example, Teal Bend Golf Club has an especially tenacious mosquito population, Brown said. The 250-acre course of undulating greens sits among irrigated rice fields north of Interstate 5, between the Sacramento River and Sacramento International Airport.
And, to the amazement of vector control officials, another golf course is planned nearby in an area dubbed Metro Park, bordered by the airport on the west, Highway 99 on the east, Interstate 5 on the south and Elkhorn Boulevard on the north.
"We've expressed to planners in the past, 'Folks, it may not be the best idea to put golf courses there,' " Brown said. "They don't listen until something like (West Nile) happens."
Mosquito abatement teams have fanned out to courses across the area, he added, applying treatments and posting signs to remind golfers to wear insect repellent. Brown said he has not seen a significant rise in calls from course operators for help with insecticide or mosquito fish.
The mosquito teams can inspect or treat any properties they think need insect control.
Area golf course operators say West Nile's arrival hasn't dented business.And golfers like Matt DeWine, 37, a Roseville computer systems analyst, say West Nile virus won't deter them.
"From what I understand, the chances that you'll get sick are pretty remote," DeWine said.
"I've been dealing with mosquitoes for years - like this," he said, slapping his right forearm with his left hand. "In my mind, they're more of an inconvenience than a health hazard."
Source: Sacramento Bee
