BCC in midst of preparations for peak season, battling dry spring
BEATRICE - Spring has sprung in southeast Nebraska, meaning area golfers are itching to take the sticks out of the garage, but if you live in the region, chances are you've had the chance to do so over the course of the winter.
Beatrice Country Club is ready to welcome the rush of golfers for the peak season. Course superintendent Andy Hamilton said the mild winter allowed people to play, but also produced well timed rain and snow making course prep less of a headache than in years past.
“Last winter we were having to drag tank water out to each green, but this winter we had timely enough rain and snow that we didn’t have to do that,” Hamilton said.
With the winter conditions allowing for more than a few opportunities for play, club pro Seth Ray says it brought unexpected extra business for the course.
“We really don’t expect much in the winter to be honest,” Ray said. “Anything we get is just gravy. If you get one of those stretch of weeks where it’s 70 [degrees] in February, which does happen every once in a blue moon, that’s just extra for us, we don’t count on it.”
Now, as winter transitions to spring, southeast Nebraska is encountering dry conditions with the last measurable bit of precipitation coming in mid-march.
“We haven’t really seen anything,” Hamilton said. “We’re relying on irrigation water, the non-irrigated areas are going to be tough and last fall was really dry as well, so hopefully we get some rain soon.”
A project a couples years in the works is beginning to shape form on the course as well -- revamped bunkers, with new white sand. Hamilton said the course ran into fears of running low on sand last year, but believes the project is trending in the right direction
“We were afraid we were going to run out and had problems getting sand shipped to us, so we became sort of stingy with how much sand we could put in them,” Hamilton said. “We eventually got them to a spot where they were playable, so the sand depths is the thing we’re focusing on now.”
As the club pro, Ray says what makes him most excited for the 2023 golf season is renewing relationships he’s built with course regulars, but also seeing new business come to Beatrice to enjoy a round.
“One thing I love about working out here is the relationships you develop,” Ray said. “They end up being lifelong friends and it’s great to see new faces too.”