Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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| Tree on #9 Hit by Lightning |
Last night's storm had more electricity in it than anything I have ever seen here at Willow Oaks. The sky was alive with lightning. Over the course of both storms yesterday we received about 2 inches of rain so the course is very wet and bunkers are very washed. We also saw something very rare. A direct lightning strike hit an irrigation pipe at the range and broke the pipe. Luckily I saw this on my way out and was able to shut the pumps down. We sustained very little tree damage but any trees hit by lightning will eventually die and need to be removed. This tree on #9 (pictured) has received a direct hit this year. We are busy with storm cleanup and trying to keep up with mowing greens. They are growing so fast that if we miss a day of mowing, it will be hard to catch up and still maintain a good quality of cut.
After tomorrow, the ten day forecast looks cool and dry so we will be spraying fungicides and applying fertility on Friday to prevent disease and encourage more growth.
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| Pipe broken and wires damaged after direct lightning strike. There is a burn mark pictured where the red wire is broken. |
