The National Golf Foundation, located in Jupiter, Florida, published a story with more details about the damage to golf courses in the Sunshine State and beyond from Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane Ian slammed Southwest Florida on Sept. 28. Many have referred to this region as the “golf course capital of the world” with so many people choosing Naples and Fort Myers to visit or retire to because of all of the outstanding golf courses.
Southwest Florida is also home to high profile professional golf tournaments. The LPGA has its traditional season-ending tournament at the Ritz Carlton in Naples. The Shark Shootout is played annually in December at the Ritz Carlton. And the PGA Champions Tour has a regular stop in Naples every February.
According to the National Golf Foundation report, 1,119 golf facilities were impacted by Ian’s wind and storm surge. That number represents 8% of the country’s overall golf courses.
Almost one in six of those were hit by hurricane strength winds and a number of those, particularly in and around the Fort Myers area, remain closed or partially so.
A look at The Dunes on Sanibel Island
One of those courses is The Dunes on Sanibel Island. PGA club professional Mike Dopslaff and his staff have been working tirelessly doing damage assessment and clean-up, pretty much as soon it was safe to return to the island.
Dopslaff can only access the island by boat because the causeway bridge connected to the mainland was breached in five places by Ian. A temporary fix has been made, allowing power companies and other officials to get on the island to start the recovery process.
In an email to USA Today Network, Dopslaff said his staff is “fired up” and doing a great job and making positive progress.
“It’s been slow going without any motorized equipment, power, running water, bathrooms etc.,” Dopslaff said. “But we are making headway. We have managed to remove all of the flooring from the clubhouse and remove all damaged equipment, food, office supplies etc.”
He said the golf cart fleet took a beating.
Golf carts at Sanibel Island’s The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club caught on fire on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. The Dunes suffered significant damage when Hurricane Ian slammed in Southwest Florida on Sept. 28. (Photo by Mike Dopslaff/Special to USA Today Network)
“We pretty much have the cart facility cleaned out as far as carts go. No carts are viable and every single cart had frozen brakes from the salt water,” Dopslaff said….
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Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…