Few clouds RAIN GAUGE Reported rainfall last week at selected area courses: Course Inches Osprey Cove 18 Sawgrass C.C.
17 Windsor Parke 17-20 Champions Club 17-20 South Hampton 15 C.C. of Orange Park 15 TPC Sawgrass 14 Timuquana 13 World Golf Village 12 Ponte Vedra Inn and Club 11 First Coast golf courses are drying out – some faster than others – but all are feeling the economic pinch of losing as many as six days of play last week because of the system that dumped almost 2 feet of rain. Many courses shut down May 18 when the system first hovered over the area and remained for a few days. Because drainage is better on some courses because of recent renovation projects or location, some were able to host players as early as three days later. The Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, for example, never officially closed, despite 11 inches of rain. Its Ocean and Lagoon courses underwent extensive drainage projects in the past decade (the Lagoon project finished 18 months ago), and there wasn’t enough standing water to hamper a few hardy golfers. All they had to do was control their shots in gale-force winds.
“We may not have actually had golfers out there, but if they had wanted to brave it, our courses were fine,” said Jim Howard, director of golf.