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Sam Morrow

Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« on: September 04, 2011, 07:27:31 PM »
Will update as I get more info
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Sam Morrow

Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2011, 07:33:18 PM »
Sounds like the club is okay but the area around it is in trouble and people are being evacuated
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Greg Clark

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2011, 11:06:57 PM »
On a somewhat related note, the Cliffs at Possum Kingdom has apparently been claimed by a wildfire.  It was a quirky Devlin/Von Hagge course west of Fort Worth that tended to illicit rather polarizing opinions from those that played it.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2011, 11:08:53 PM by Greg Clark »
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Sam Morrow

Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2011, 11:13:31 PM »
Sounds like the bad stuff missed Austin Golf Club, but not by much. Really scary stuff going on up there.
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Sam Morrow

Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2011, 10:54:23 AM »
As of now all the buildings are safe but the back 9 was torched and some parts of the front got torched.
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Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2011, 11:01:01 AM »
Sam:

That's a real bummer.

I am supposed to see Ben Crenshaw tomorrow in Florida, I'll try to find out how the fire has affected things.
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Sam Morrow

Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2011, 11:06:55 AM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on September 05, 2011, 11:01:01 AM
Sam:

That's a real bummer.

I am supposed to see Ben Crenshaw tomorrow in Florida, I'll try to find out how the fire has affected things.

Sounds like the fires are still going to let's hope the course is done getting this stuff.
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Mike_Young

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2011, 11:13:37 AM »
here is an article that a friend had posted: 
http://www.newstreamz.com/2011/09/05/firefighters-battle-400-acre-blaze-north-of-dripping-springs/

Hope all are ok...

I think Willy has a course in Pedernales...sounds like it's close...
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"just standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona"

Sam Morrow

Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2011, 11:15:38 AM »
Quote from: Mike_Young on September 05, 2011, 11:13:37 AM
here is an article that a friend had posted: 
http://www.newstreamz.com/2011/09/05/firefighters-battle-400-acre-blaze-north-of-dripping-springs/

Hope all are ok...

I think Willy has a course in Pedernales...sounds like it's close...


There are lots of courses in the area, fires are popping up all over The Hill Country.
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Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2011, 03:29:59 PM »
In the hill country, everything that's not fairway or rock looks like kindling.   It's dry stuff, mesquite, chapparel, scrub oaks, juniper.....
« Last Edit: September 06, 2011, 02:39:31 PM by Bill_McBride »
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Kris Shreiner

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2011, 11:57:56 AM »
The Cliffs at Possum Kingdom? You can't be serious...that name is HILARIOUS!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D Who's the head pro, Jed
Clampett?!

Hope everyone inTexas is safe. That region is mighty dry in a lot of places.
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"I said in a talk at the Dunhill Tournament in St. Andrews a few years back that I thought any of the caddies I'd had that week would probably make a good golf course architect. We all want to ask golfers of all abilities to get more out of their games -caddies do that for a living." T.Doak

Greg Clark

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #11 on: September 06, 2011, 02:37:44 PM »
Kris,

The name and the course are kind of silly.  That being said, the course sits on top of the cliffs overlooking Possum Kingdom lake.  It is a very nice setting.
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Randy Thompson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2011, 02:59:23 PM »
Easy Guys, the Cliffs is where I spent four years of my life and that was the first course I worked on in construction and grew in! But, everything said so far is true!
Slope 143-does that tell you anything!
« Last Edit: September 06, 2011, 03:04:17 PM by Randy Thompson »
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Morgan Clawson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2011, 03:15:09 PM »
Perhaps these tree removal programs are getting a little out of hand... ;)
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Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #14 on: September 06, 2011, 05:00:45 PM »
Randy,

Didn't know you got your start under the semi infamous Dee Smith!  I had just started my biz, but had worked with his company as an associate to Killian and Nugent in buidling both Arlington Ditto and Mission Dorado in Midland, Tx.  So, he offered to pay me a nominal sum to do his irrigation take off, which I accepted with little to do.  After laboriously counting everything including wire runs, he called for the numbers, asked how many sprinklers there were, and then took that number by $600 for his bid. 

I was miffed, and still wondered how he did on that, especially if he didn't have a separate rock clause!

I hope you weren't the one who dozed in that cart path on 15!
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Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Darren Gloster

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #15 on: September 06, 2011, 05:11:46 PM »
All major structures in tact but the course has had a fair bit of rough burn out and damage to fairways and trees.

Below is the aerial

I live in Austin but flew out on Sunday night.  The drought is terrible at the moment.  To put into perspective we have had 79 days over 100 this year.  Surpassing the record set in 1925.  Last week was the hottest day on record topping out at 113.  Unfortunately areas like Austin GC have no chance.  It really got quite close to alot of major subdivisions in town.  Quite bad.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150282505363267&set=a.126764418266.105481.113420883266&type=1&theater

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Randy Thompson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2011, 08:26:20 PM »
Quote from: Jeff_Brauer on September 06, 2011, 05:00:45 PM
Randy,

Didn't know you got your start under the semi infamous Dee Smith!  I had just started my biz, but had worked with his company as an associate to Killian and Nugent in buidling both Arlington Ditto and Mission Dorado in Midland, Tx.  So, he offered to pay me a nominal sum to do his irrigation take off, which I accepted with little to do.  After laboriously counting everything including wire runs, he called for the numbers, asked how many sprinklers there were, and then took that number by $600 for his bid. 

I was miffed, and still wondered how he did on that, especially if he didn't have a separate rock clause!

I hope you weren't the one who dozed in that cart path on 15!
Jeff
That was almost a seventeen hole golf course! He subbed the irrigation to a contractor out of Houston, probably at 400 a head, Dee never lost a dollar! Bob use to call him the paper boy, always yelling, EXTRA, EXTRA! There was a seperate rock clause and I think it was around two million spent on the trenching, I know it was over one point five! We the tax payers paid for that baby! I met you once out there I beleive, your office had an outting, I was director of Golf at the time and I comped you and your staff all and gave you free beer too, what a nice guy I use to be! ;D
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Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2011, 09:45:57 PM »
I hate to hear this. I have never seen a year like this in Texas.
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Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #18 on: September 06, 2011, 09:48:37 PM »
Just back from dinner with Ben, who showed me some pictures of the damage on his phone.  Fortunately, the clubhouse and the superintendent's home were spared.  Native roughs took the brunt of the fire; some fairways were singed, but not much of the tees and greens, which is pretty amazing since they had to evacuate the place completely on less than an hour's notice.

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Randy Thompson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #19 on: September 07, 2011, 12:58:35 AM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on September 06, 2011, 09:48:37 PM
Just back from dinner with Ben, who showed me some pictures of the damage on his phone.  Fortunately, the clubhouse and the superintendent's home were spared.  Native roughs took the brunt of the fire; some fairways were singed, but not much of the tees and greens, which is pretty amazing since they had to evacuate the place completely on less than an hour's notice.


Not so amazing when you consider the natives are left without irrigation to blend in with the sourroundings and considering the date of the fire, they were dried and long and the fairways cut at half an inch  and irrigated and greens, at less than a quater of an inch and irrigated, whats to burn there? Logical, nothing more. There were two types of houses at the Cliffs, wood and rock, which do you think burned and were devastated? The roughs will come back stronger than ever, a mild blessing in the long term. Take care and enjoy the seafood and maybe a glass of good wine!
« Last Edit: September 07, 2011, 08:37:40 AM by Randy Thompson »
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RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #20 on: September 07, 2011, 01:44:29 AM »
It sounds like ACC basically experienced what they do on purpose with the wooga at Wild Horse, Spring and Fall, with their burn of the native area.  So, if that remains the extent of it at ACC, they should be back in the green or regrown native as soon as some rain or irrigation water does get back onto that native area there. 
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No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Tom Ferrell

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #21 on: September 07, 2011, 11:44:50 AM »
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Greg Clark

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #22 on: September 07, 2011, 05:58:11 PM »
I'm hearing that while many homes around the Cliffs were destroyed, as well as some structures around the entrance to the resort, the course itself sustained some, but not critical damage.  It also appears the hotel survived. 
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Randy Thompson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club
« Reply #23 on: September 07, 2011, 08:22:21 PM »
Greg,
Thanks, too bad mounds donīt burn!
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Lou_Duran

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Major Wildfire at Austin Golf Club New
« Reply #24 on: September 08, 2011, 10:28:45 AM »
Randy,

There is nothing wrong with The Cliffs that a good fire, couple old dozers, you, Don M, and a few hundred thousand couldn't cure.  Nice setting and some decent bones.

Regarding AGC and the current Texas drought/heat situation, the major criticisms of the course that I've heard, particularly during its first couple of years, revolved around the rugged, rustic surrounds which resulted in lost balls and high scores.  Not that these fires should be viewed in any positive terms, but perhaps they may make it easier to keep the natives in check on an ongoing basis, making the course more playable and providing less fuel for future fires.

Having lived in Texas for 30 years, one can bet the ranch that extreme weather is the norm and we will be having these discussions again and again.  Among the many challenges we face down here, water management is one of the most critical.  
« Last Edit: September 08, 2011, 03:58:03 PM by Lou_Duran »
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