SUNRISE, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2012) – Keeping golfers safe while keeping their courses full may be golf course operators’ most delicate – and critical – balancing act, according to Greg Quinn, director of weather for Thor Guard, which manufactures lightning prediction systems for golf courses and other businesses.
“Operators want to allow golfers to stay on the course and not interrupt their rounds, but there comes a time when weather conditions and safety concerns override everything else,” Quinn said during a presentation titled “Understanding the Danger, Managing the Risk” at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.
The key to prioritizing safety while maximizing participation, Quinn said, is to understand the dangers lightning presents. “Our biggest challenge is educating people on some basic lightning information.” For example, Quinn said, most people think it’s safe to go back on the course once a storm has cleared the area. Studies have shown, however, that 60 percent of lightning victims are struck under blue skies after a storm has passed. What’s more, thirty percent of lightning victims are struck under blue skies before a storm arrives in their immediate area.
Thor Guard, which will exhibit at the Golf Industry Show Feb. 29 – March 1 in Las Vegas, advises operators who want to minimize weather delays while maximizing safety to heed warning signs and to take advantage of the latest lightning prediction technology.
“If we just paid better attention to weather conditions – and if we really knew what to look for and what to listen for – we would instinctively know when conditions were getting bad and could reduce a lot of injuries,” Quinn said.
Unlike lightning detection systems, prediction systems, which monitor the atmosphere’s electrostatic field, have the advantage of being able to issue a warning before lightning is detected or present in a specific area.
Quinn also recommends a lightning management plan for every course.
“If you don’t have a plan to act on the information the technology is giving you, you’re wasting a large part of your investment,” he said. “You should have well-defined roles for staff members, so they know what to do when the system gives you a warning. The more comprehensive the plan and the better it is communicated, the less you’re going to affect play on the course and customer satisfaction.”
About Thor Guard
Since 1976 Thor Guard systems have provided reliable and accurate advance warning of the potential for lightning and other severe weather conditions. Utilizing proprietary atmospheric electrostatic analysis technology, Thor Guard provides lightning predictions and warnings, along with live streaming local radar, to help protect people and equipment and better manage events. Thor Guard is the only standalone lightning warning device used by the USGA, LPGA, American Junior Golf Association, Royal Canadian Golf Association and Canadian, European and South African tours. Thor Guard is also used by the TPC Network of Courses, Marriott Golf, Hampton Golf, the Department of Homeland Security, American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue, United Airlines, Fed Ex, Motorola, AT&T and more than 700 universities, schools and municipalities.
Contact:
Bill Bryant, Bryant Marketing Communications
(678) 366-3232, bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
Robert Dugan, Thor Guard
(888) 571-1212, bdugan@thorguard.com
