Over the past a number of years, I’ve heard the phrase “local weather haven” more and more used to explain communities or areas immune to local weather change. A number of years in the past, a professor at Tulane College, Jesse Keenan, developed the idea that cities could possibly be “local weather havens,” though he by no means used or coined the time period.
The phrase most definitely developed from articles on the subject beginning in 2018. Most cities recognized as local weather havens are centered across the Nice Lakes area and are sometimes thought-about good locations to reside with reasonable to secure climates. More and more, cities are advertising themselves as local weather havens.
That is most definitely in response to one-third of Individuals citing local weather change as a motive to maneuver. Asheville, N.C., was recognized as a local weather haven earlier than Hurricane Helene. The devastation attributable to Helene in Asheville confirmed that local weather change is usually underestimated, and perhaps extra importantly, there is no such thing as a secure haven from it.
For many years, golf course managers have usually handled the impression of local weather change in sustaining a golf course, whether or not the golf course lies within the path of ever-increasing depth and frequency of hurricanes, tornadoes, fires or flooding or the impression of rising summer time temperatures, drought or restricted availability of water.
In previous columns, I’ve written about local weather change and the impression of related climate occasions on golf course administration. From water rights/restrictions and drought within the west to flooding within the south and japanese United States to fires within the north, to call a couple of.
So as to add to the record and to not exclude the place I reside, golf programs in central Ohio have confronted a catastrophic occasion together with a chronic interval of stress. This previous spring, we had a rash of tornadoes. One golf course north of Columbus had a twister contact down, coming into the course on one facet of the property and exiting on the opposite.
The consequence was greater than a thousand timber downed. For many who have skilled a twister, the sound generated is one thing you’ll always remember — it’s like a locomotive bearing down on you.
Tornadoes have all the time been a priority in central Ohio. Nonetheless, the rising quantity and size of time {that a} twister stays on the bottom is worrisome, with the frequency rising yearly.
In response, Franklin County, which incorporates the town of Columbus, The Ohio State College and a number of the nation’s most interesting and most well-known golf programs (I could also be barely prejudiced) has 198 outdoors twister warning sirens. As a comparability, and given there may be different elements, the whole state of Oklahoma, which is situated in “Twister Alley,” has 182 (Tulsa has 80).
Transitioning from spring to summer time in 2024, we skilled the third driest summer time (measured from June 1 by way of Aug. 31). For reference, the driest summer time on document was in 1933. The drought we confronted this 12 months has not been as frequent from 12 months to 12 months as in different places within the nation, however one factor that has been constant is the more and more hotter summers.
As I mirror on 2024 and stay up for 2025, I can’t assist however take into consideration what challenges we are going to face. No matter climate problem presents itself, golf course managers will probably be as much as it. Throughout all classes of golf programs, high quality and playability enhancements proceed to be sustained and improved within the face of a altering local weather. I noticed that in 2024.
I base my commentary on visiting, talking and dealing with golf course managers in the USA for greater than 40 years. At present, I discover the training, information base, consciousness and expertise developments within the business at their highest level. These traits are core to adapting to a altering atmosphere.
I want you a cheerful vacation. I can’t wait till 2025 to see the challenges golf course managers face and the way they efficiently handle them.
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