Lohmann Companies

The Real-World Consequences of Heat & Drought


Please take a moment to pity Jim Nedrow, the eminently capable course superintendent at the 27-hole Club at Indian Creek in Omaha, Neb. Supers are suffering all over the Midwest this summer, but this spring Jim grew in Phase II of a renovation we at Lohmann Golf Designs have undertaken at Indian Creek. The Red Feather nine opened a month ago and since the ribbons were cut, they’ve had 45 straight days without measurable rain — and temperatures for the last 30 have averaged daily highs of 99 degrees.

The pictures included here show how tough and crispy it’s been. Even where Jim has “watered in” the new grass, areas on the edge are browning out. Still, he has kept these young greens more than alive. They are healthy, rolling fast and smooth. I think Jim would tell you himself, he learned some valuable lessons from the Phase I grow-in (of the renovated Black Bird nine) — namely, he’s leaving the height of cut a bit higher on approaches and collars. This has minimized stress as they continue to mature.

Phase III construction (the Gray Hawk nine) is well underway at Indian Creek, which is one reason we were out in Omaha the first week in August, toiling in the hot, hot sun. Duininck Golf is handling construction and the dry weather — usually a contractor’s dream, in terms of productivity — has resulted in this anomalous behavior: Site superintendent Travis Quisberg is actually wetting down the construction zones! Why? To make the soil a bit more tacky and less dusty, but mainly to keep existing turf in and around those zones alive. In these hyper-hot, hyper-dry conditions, equipment and carts are doing more damage than normal. One can see the dry turf almost disintegrate under the wheels.

Omaha is a burgeoning tournament town. Indian Creek hosts its own prestigious amateur event, The Indian Creek Invitational; The Web.com Tour was at Champions Run GC last weekend; and the U.S. Senior Open visits Omaha CC next year. If you plan to attend either professional event, book yourself a tee time at nearby Indian Creek, which is about as good a daily-fee venue as you’ll find anywhere in the Midwest. Just bring a wide-brimmed hat and some sunscreen.