CAVE CREEK, AZ – The climate in Cave Creek, Arizona is pretty much the same as most desert towns. Dry heat in the summer, cool temps in the winter, and very little rainfall – about 12 inches per year.
But when nearly half of that rain amount falls in a three-hour period, then Mother Nature is dumping a serious problem on your doorstep – literally. That is what happened to this Phoenix area town on August 18 this year. Andy Short, General Manager at Rancho Manana Golf Club, called it “Biblical.”
“We received 5 or 6 inches of rain in the mountains above us in about three hours,” he said. “Suddenly the water came barreling down the mountain and basically wiped out our 16th hole. Pro Turf International had done a lot of work for us in the past, and had always come through. So we called on them to help us out.”
PTI Principal Kip Wolfe was familiar with the property, and familiar with how damaging flash floods can be. But he was shocked by what he saw.
“The golf hole is situated along the Cave Creek wash and after such a significant rain event, the entire golf hole was submersed under water,” he said. “The force of the water was so great that it broke through rock wall gabion baskets that were previously installed for protection from such events. Sections of cart path were uplifted and deposited on areas of the fairway. All the bunkers on the golf hole had to be restored. Heavy amounts of silt deposits and debris on the turf needed to be removed. In a word, it was a mess.”
PTI and Short’s golf course crew created a temporary green and made the hole a par 3 so play could continue while the work was done.
“Kip’s team came in, removed a ton of debris, cut a new cart path road in, and basically got us all cleaned up,” said Short. “They know what they are doing. They are very impressive operators, and get things done with minimal interruption. It probably only took them five days to clean this mess up.”
PTI was also on the Rancho Manana property this summer for another project – enlarging the driving range tee, which was too small for the amount of play the course gets.
“Andy outlined in detail the scope of work and contracted with PTI Golf to grade and shape the existing tee and make it bigger for additional teeing stations,” said Wolfe. “We started the project by stripping off the existing turf, then we removed brush and added fill dirt in order to maximize the amount of room we had available. The tee was then laser leveled and fine graded for preparation of new sod. We also graded for a new artificial turf tee line and concrete walk path that provided access to the tee line. The new driving range tee was sodded with Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda sod.”
The customer and his players are very happy with the job delivered by PTI.
“Kip is great to work with,” said Short. “He seems to always know exactly what I need done, and then he and his crew go out and get it done correctly and on time. They have the right crew and the right equipment, and they know how to get in and get out without much disturbance.
“I highly recommend Pro Turf International.”
ABOUT PRO TURF INTERNATIONAL
Pro Turf International is a family owned construction, landscape and golf maintenance company with over 30 years of hands-on experience in the Southwest. They proudly serve the golf, sports and landscape industry to enhance quality and improve conditions in a safe, environmentally friendly manner. For more information call (702) 315-5121, or visit www.ptigolf.com.
ABOUT RANCHO MANANA GOLF CLUB
Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert in historic Cave Creek, AZ, Rancho Manana Golf Club features a par 70 championship course with dramatic elevation changes and unspoiled desert terrain. Built in 1985 the course features small, fast greens and spectacular vistas. It plays only 6,000 yards, but this course is anything but a pushover, and people travel far and wide to enjoy the test and the views.
Contact:
Mike Jamison (407-474-0531)
mike@jamisongolf.com
