Golf course still closed 74 days later

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WFLI) - It's been a silent summer at the Lafayette Municipal Golf Course.
A far cry from the early Spring start when area golfers showed up in droves.

Course Manager Jason Biddinger said the course flooding wasn't unbelievable but the damage it caused was.

"We just couldn't believe it. It pretty much wiped out every thing it was on and it was hot. It was really hot," said Biddinger.

Part of the problem is brown patches caused by a combination of grass being under water, and the humid summer that kept moisture in the ground. Re-seeding alone has been tough and now there is the threat of weeds.

"The grass isn't growing and with the moisture and heat a lot of weeds love that. The goose grass and the crab grass kind of took over those areas that we lost. So we've actually put down some chemicals that eradicate that and we are going to try and seed again,"said Biddinger.

Biddinger added they would like to prepare for flooding in advance but with the course designated as a flood plain it's impossible. The course lost out on a significant amount of money.

"I estimate maybe $140-150,000 in revenue that we lost. The thing about it is, the golf course is self supporting. It's all supported by user fees and tax payer dollars are not used during the operation. We will have to take a look at the budget and see what we can do without next year," said Biddinger.

He said he is optimistic that the cooler weather will help the course take a turn for the better. Biddinger projects that they could re-open in the first part of October.