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« Back Post Date: Friday, November 15, 2019
A Matter of Course: 2019 Recap

Now that another golf season at Green Bay Country Club has concluded, I would like to highlight the most talked about subject of the year... Precipitation. Since the 2019 golf season commenced on April 27th, it has been a battle with Mother Nature and her precipitation. Pictured below is a graph comparing Green Bay’s average monthly rainfall with Green Bay’s 2019 monthly rainfall.



Please notice, since opening, the rainfall has been significantly above average, except in July.  Not only were the rain amounts high but the rate the storms produced were extreme; resulting in frequent floods and golf course closures throughout the Fox Valley and beyond. 

Deciding to close the golf course due to precipitation and flooding is a difficult decision but is necessary when conditions are warranted.  When deciding to close the golf course, the GBCC Grounds Department keeps in mind the following:

  • Safety of members and employees – is the course navigable by walking or cart

  • Protecting the golf course – is golfer, cart or crew traffic/maintenance going to harm the golf course?

  • Playability of the golf course – is there standing water on too many playing surfaces?  Will they be able to play within the rules of golf and post a proper score?

In 2019, Green Bay Country Club closed the golf course for a total of 5 full days (4 days for snow and 1 day for rain) and 3 half days (all half days for rain).  Overall, GBCC was closed considerably less than other area golf courses.

There are many reasons why we were able to stay open when other course could not, but the main reason is course design.  The topography, elevation and placement of the playing areas was well planned, along with the decision to have cart paths throughout the course.  As a result, this year, we had zero turf loss from flooding and/or persistent standing water.  Another reason why we stay opened more, is our drainage system.  The drainage system is strategically placed and installed in low lying and/or flat areas, that readily flow into large and accepting bodies of water (i.e Bower Creek, irrigation ponds, etc).  Also, since the course’s inception, the Grounds Crew has continually added/repaired/connected to the initial drainage system to improve the drainage system’s coverage and infiltration rate.


Pictured above is an in-house created Google Map with documentation of GBCC’s drainage system.

The last reason why we stay open more, is the Grounds Crew has set standards and practices that need to be done after significant rain or flood.  With standards and practices in place, the timeline for a playable course is expedited.

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