Spring Rain Dampens Golf Course Outlooks

After all the snow this winter, a little rain wouldn’t seem all that problematic for many in town, but local golf courses have struggled to maintain business with the weeks of wet weather.

Employees at local golf courses including Southington Country Club, Pine Valley and Hawk’s Landing said while numbers are steady when the sun is out, storms which are occurring afternoons over the past few weeks have had an adverse effect on golf leagues and afternoon attendance.

"The greens are in great shape but the rest of the course is very moist and it's hard to push a cart with a full load of clubs," said Ed Slavin as he and his friend enjoyed a cool drink after his round of golf at Southington Country Club.

At Hawks Landing, there has been some problems with a few of the cart paths where they bisect a pond. When the paths get washed over by water, staff said they have had to ferry people around the ponds but they have been working to fix that.

Pine Valley Owner Larry Della Bianca explained that the wet weather has caused more then a set back in league play, but also created headaches with course maintenance.

"With all the wet weather and high humidity they have already begun to treat with fungicides to stop root rot, which is normally done in July,” Della Bianca said. “There hasn't been a chance to fully test the sprinklers for damage which may have been caused over the winter either."

Della Bianca said weekend crowds have also been smaller this year, partially because there just haven’t been enough nice days overall.

“With everything that has to be done around the house people have a hard time fitting everything in when it rains,” he said. “There is so much to do outside the home, so the pleasure of golfing often comes after their own yard work."