On December 31, 2020 finally left the building. Given that 2020 withdrew from the annual field of play, out of respect, we’ve laid low regarding the ongoing work at Cedar Rapids as there were 1000’s of folks with issues of more gravitas. It is difficult to convey the level of havoc wreaked by the 2020 Iowa derecho.
To recap, August 10. 2020, Cedar Rapids, parts of Iowa and CRCC were hit by a Derecho. This one was a mix of squall line and inland hurricane that blew with 90-145mph straight line winds.
Ponder some of these stats:Peak wind gust (est.): 140 mph (225 km/h; 62.6 m/s) (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)Tornadoes caused: 25Damage costs: $11 billion (2020 USD)To date, we and the entire region continue to battle with issues associated with insurance, logistics, contractor resources, parts, building materials and labor shortages. Add to that, we needed some time to ponder the direction of any potential GCA plan that addressed a course that lost the bulk of the trees that defined parts of the routing.
(Re:Trees…Yes. We know. Please, though, not so loud.)The plight of our Donald Ross course was trivial when measured against the losses visited upon the community at large. Luckily, we suffered neither loss of life nor injury, at least at the club or among close friends and acquaintances. Our GM Tom Feller rode the 45 Minutes out in his pickup truck, periodically moving while dodging trees uprooted and flown across the parking lot.
Condensed CRCC history:1904 Locals route 9 excellent Holes
1914 Donald Ross visits, and draws plans to incorporate much of the Bendelow routing in an expansion from 9 to18
1916 CRCC's Ross drawn build is completed by Cedar Rapids Construction Contractor W.F. Bickle
2015 Ron Prichard Designs a Restoration and Reclamation of Ross Characteristics overgrown by trees.
2020 Destruction of the majority of the canopy and lines of play in 2020
2021 Ron designs a Repair-Restoration-Renovation. The plan addresses the need for new features and alternate strategies across a drastically altered landscape.
GCA CRCC Montage.001 by
V HalyardA silver lining, we suffered no injuries nor loss of life. Slowly, the new Prichard plan is breathing new life into a scarred landscape. Progress has turned despair into hope, and now eager anticipation of what will be ultimately be a new course in comparison to the landscape first visited by Ross. The Ross shot values once enforced by a smattering of trees and groves, are being reinstated with the use of mounds, bunkers and fescue.
GCA CRCC Montage.002 by
V HalyardHere is a before/after/aftermath/and renovation progress montage. Thanks to the artful design of Prichard sculpted by Tyler Rae and Leibold, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. We still have a long road ahead which includes the entirety of the back nine. We will likely remain fairly closed until the features mature and the work on the back nine is wrapped up in late 2022 or 2023.
POST_CRCC Drone June 2021 For Post copy.005 by
V Halyard, on Flickr
As of June 2021 The city and contractors are
working daily to remove the tree and timber remnants that still line the streets of Cedar Rapids like grimy plowed snow waiting for spring to melt. We are happy for the progress we have made to date.
For more about the story, please pick up a copy of McKellar #5 which has an excellent piece by a CRCC previous Golf Chair and friend, Molly Altorfer.