Berksdale reopens once again
While many amenities were closing because of covid-19, one POA amenity reopened. The nine-hole Berksdale Golf Course is ready for play.
Berksdale and Kingswood are located just off Highway 71 and share a pro-shop. In 2017, Berksdale was a popular 18hole course, but it closed when a flood damaged the cart path. A few months later nine holes were reopened, but the decision was made to leave the south nine holes permanently closed.
In 2019 Golf Maintenance staff realized a golf cart bridge on the open nine holes was damaged and probably dangerous. The course was closed again in June 2019.
Earlier this year, Golf Operations Director Darryl Muldoon told the Joint Advisory Committee on Golf about a plan to reopen the nine-hole without using the damaged bridge. At first the plan was to add fencing to a section of cart path that would be used for two-way traffic. Later, the fencing idea was dropped in favor of a “wave” style tee time.
The concern was about a section of cart path on the side of a steep hill that would be used for two-way traffic. The wave tee times begin four times each day with nine groups going out each time. The plan is that when the first group is ready to return to the Pro Shop and heading up the steep hill, the last group of that wave will have gone by that section of path. No other groups will go out until everyone in the first wave has completed the nine holes.
“Most people have been pretty good about it,” Golf Pro Gavin Smith said about the new system. So far, Berksdale hasn’t been very busy, but he expects business to pick up as more people realize it has reopened. Smith said even with the one person per cart limit, the Kingsdale complex has enough carts.
“People are enjoying the lay out,” Muldoon said, “The pros
are doing a good job controlling the wave system.”
Berksdale is also receiving minimum maintenance due to budget cuts, but golfer Susan Nuttall said it looks just as good as other full maintenance courses. She played the
course last week.
Nuttall helps organize a women’s nine-hole group and they plan to play Berksdale two more times in April.
“It’s relatively flat and easy to play,” she explained. “Our members like that course a lot.”
Since the group was small when they played Berksdale, the wave was pretty easy. When the first group was getting ready to go back up the hill,
they called the last group to make sure they were safely past the hill. When the players don’t know each other well, a course employee may have to be stationed on the course to make sure the timing is right.
There weren’t any areas where golfers were in danger from other golfers’ balls, she said. The course has lots of new signs to help golfers stay on the correct course, she said.