Golf Inc - February 2008 - (Page 21)

Saviors of a devasted community OPERATIONS SUCCESS When 40 superintendents rallied to help a course stay open, they brought a ray of hope to a Kansas town summer here and they utilized the course all summer.” For Robertson and others attached to the course, Cannonball became a means for redirecting energy and offsetting the helpless feeling people often get when faced with rebuilding their home. “There’s really only so much you can do,” he said. “If your own home is a total loss, once you’ve completed the major portion of the cleanup there just isn’t a lot more to do. The golf course was a superintendent at Carey Park Golf Course in nearby Hutchinson, the man primarily responsible for organizing the volunteer trip. “There is no other outlet out there for recreation. Golf is one of the last things still standing and it was clear that people needed this course.” Robertson, who said it’s too early to project the impact the tornado will have on Cannonball’s membership going forward, was overwhelmed by the local superintendents’ support. L ike most residents of Greensburg, Kansas, Stan Robertson’s life was turned upside down last spring when a tornado rampaged through the small town and left nothing but devastation in its path. Robertson’s home, along with what he estimated at around 95 percent of the town, was destroyed in the May 4 tragedy. “It’s devastating,” he said. “It’s an emotional roller coaster. Every day you’re reminded just how horrific the destruction was.” Amid the town’s devastation, however, there still stands a nine-hole beacon of hope. Cannonball Golf Course, a semi-private facility founded in 1971, escaped the tornado relatively unharmed, fortunate to have been located within the small portion of Greensburg that suffered substantial damage but not total devastation. “We lost trees and took structural damage to the clubhouse,” said Robertson, club board president at Cannonball and president of a bank in nearby Haviland. “There was embedded debris all over the course but that was essentially it.” Cannonball remained open to town residents and volunteers alike, many of whom have been living in FEMAprovided trailers, providing an invaluable outlet for recreation. “It’s been that for so many people,” Robertson said. “There were firemen and emergency workers on loan from other departments that spent the entire There is no other outlet out there for recreation. Golf is one of the last things still standing and it was clear that people needed this course. —Matt Miller, golf course superintendent at Carey Park Golf Course place that you could direct some efforts that under normal conditions might have been directed at your own property.” Course personnel weren’t the only ones to pitch in, however. Last September, 40 members of the Kansas Golf Course Superintendents Association traveled to Greensburg to help the undermanned course with various upkeep needs. “The people we talked to all said it was critical,” said Matt Miller, golf course February 2008 www.GolfIncMagazine.com 21 “I have not come up with an accurate way to describe what it meant,” said Robertson. “It meant everything in the world.” If there’s a silver lining to any of what’s happened to the people of Greensburg, Robertson knows exactly what it is. “We’re so very proud and encouraged by what we’ve seen from people all over the country as far as well wishes and support. We’ve seen first hand that people —Scott Desiere are good.” http://www.GolfIncMagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Golf Inc - February 2008

Golf Inc - February 2008 Contents Our Commitment to the Environment Industry Executives Tout Golf’s Economic Clout New Openings Fall Again in 2007 DeLozier Leaves Pulte to Join Consulting Firm Doak to Design Costa Rica Resort Course 18 Holes, 18 Designers for Unique Club India Course Charts Expansion Plans A Severe Slump in the U.S. Housing Market is Expected to Cut Golf Course Development Panama Course Rescued from Jungle How a Golf Course Helped a Devastated Kansas Community Recover from Tragic Tornado Devastation Can a $68 Million Muni Be a Good Investment? Brent Wadsworth’s Passion for the Game European Management Companies Find Increasingly Fertile Ground as More and More Course Owners Look for Professional Operators The Final Word: Keeping in Touch

Golf Inc - February 2008

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