Proximity to the ocean and climate change might be too much for this once-proud club to overcome.
Alnmouth Village Golf Club has long entranced visitors with its collection of holes nestling up against the North Sea. The club, which sits about 30 miles north of Newcastle-on-Tyne on the northeastern portion of England, was established in 1869, making it the oldest nine-hole links in England.
Designed by 1874 Open Championship Mungo Park, who was also the club’s first greenskeeper, the course has views of Alnmouth Bay and Coquet Island.
Unfortunately, the proximity to the ocean and climate change might be too much for this once-proud club to overcome.
According to a story by the BBC, large sections of turf have started to fall into the sea, and many of the club’s members are starting to worry this problem might be insurmountable.
Fears as coastal erosion caused sections of a historic golf course to fall into the sea. The 150 year old Alnmouth Village Golf Club was affected by spring tides. More 1830 BBC Look North. pic.twitter.com/T3LoYKklsL
In fact, the club’s secretary, Ian Simpson, told the news station, “We will eventually lose the golf course if nothing is done.”
Here’s more from the story:
Treasurer John Graham, who has been a member of the club for 65 years, said: “We had a big problem in the early 1960s near the boathouse. The sea got in and it destroyed about 15 yards.
“There was more trouble in the 1990s, but we had some pipes buried and we had marram grass planted and that stabilised that area.
“But where the problem is now – what we call link end – we’ve never had an issue there before.”
Councillor Gordon Castle said the situation is “very concerning.”
“I’ve contacted the cabinet member for the environment at Northumberland County Council to see if it is possible that money allocated for coastal erosion could be used to protect this spot,” he said.
“It is worth noting that there has been many changes to the coast over the years, and not all of it can be prevented.”
“All of that area is going to be affected in the next 10 years by climate change.”
Parts of Peter Hansen’s favorite golf course were underwater. Again.
As the Pineapple Express storm swept across Ventura County Sunday, the bus driver from Camarillo drove by the 92-year-old course he described as good for morale because of its shorter, more forgiving holes. Already frustrated the city-owned Ventura track had been closed for more than a year because of damage from 2023 storms, Hansen saw the water and worried he might never tee up there again.
“I said: ‘This isn’t good,’” he recalled thinking.
The course’s future remains at least partly cloudy, but if it doesn’t reopen it won’t be because of the storm unleashed by an atmospheric river.
City officials said the course sustained only about $16,000 of damage, relative pennies compared to the $10 million or more estimated price of repairing destruction incurred by tons of sediment and mud that covered the course after the Santa Clara River flooded it on Jan. 9, 2023.
This time around, sand traps filled with water. Ducks swam in temporary lakes. A tree was lost and a piece of irrigation control equipment was damaged.
“It was pretty minor,” said Stacey Zarazua, the city’s parks and recreation director.
The course opened in 1932 and has built a loyal following, in part because its shorter length acts like balm on golfers’ egos. Its long-term future continues to hinge largely on funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and finding ways to reduce the chance of future flooding.
But city officials said parts of the course could possibly reopen in a short-term fix aimed at regaining some of the revenue lost during the long closure.
It’s not clear exactly when such a reopening could come but the course could be ready for it fairly quickly, said Deputy City Manager Brad “Brick” Conners.
“We think we can do at least nine holes,” he said. The final call on a temporary, partial reopening would come from the City Council, as will the key decisions on repairs and the course’s future.
“The potential exists,” Conners said of a full opening. “There are a variety of things that have to happen.”
Work crews use dump trucks top to remove mounds of dirt at the Buenaventura Golf Course on Friday, July 7, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
‘Like the hand of God’
In January 2023, massive rain turned the course into a giant lake, also flooding the snack bar and pro shop. After the water drained, fairways, greens and sand traps were cloaked in thick, suffocating coats of mud and silt.
The sediment was removed and much of the grass survived, sparking hopes the course could survive and reopen. Barriers remain.
This file photo shows how Buenaventura Golf Course looked after it was flooded in January 2023. The Ventura course’s future remains uncertain.
Virtually all of the dozens of sand traps on the course were destroyed in the flood. Two greens also need to be rebuilt in expensive projects that involve irrigation issues and drainage repairs.
“It looks like the hand of God came in and swept them away,” Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder said of the damaged putting surfaces. “There’s a hole where the green used to be.”
Buenaventura Golf Course in Ventura survived the Pineapple Express storm with minor scars as shown in this photo on Wednesday. Its future remains unclear but could include partial reopening. (Photo: Tom Kisken/VC Star)
The course is located in a floodplain. Conners said the city is in discussions about possible mitigation plans that would help flood-proof the course. Those changes could include some alterations to the layout and would be limited to the course and not the Santa Clara River. The mitigation would need review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The city gained approval for funding from FEMA but the exact level of reimbursement remains unknown, Conners said. The city’s insurance carrier also needs to validate the funding claim to open the FEMA pipeline.
Big decisions coming
Schroeder said he has been told FEMA will cover 75% of the costs and 15% or more will be covered by other sources, leaving the balance for the city to pay.
He cited the 80,000 rounds of golf once played at Buenaventura yearly in voicing support for the reopening if the FEMA reimbursement money materializes. The opening could come in stages, growing from 9 holes to 12 holes to the full 18, he said.
But the mayor also said mitigation is needed to protect the course from future flooding.
“If we can do that … I’m open to investing in the course,” he said.
City Council Member Liz Campos said she’ll need to see an exact plan before revealing how she’ll vote. But she also thinks the course and other city sites fronting the ocean or river need to be pushed back at least a quarter mile to reduce the chance of future storms creating deja vu.
“All of that area is going to be affected in the next 10 years by climate change,” she said, suggesting the risks of damage will grow.
Hansen, the golfer from Camarillo, drives by the site often. He emails city leaders and others for status updates. The fairways looked so good before the recent storm that he had difficulty understanding why the course hadn’t reopened.
He remains hopeful.
“That’s my favorite course and I can’t wait for it to happen,” he said of the opening.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
Taylor Swift has her own history with private jets and her carbon footprint.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you a Taylor Swift fan, a Chiefs fan or a conspiracy theorist looking to learn more? We’re here to help.
Even if the NFL is “overdoing it” with coverage of the relationship, odds are high that you probably haven’t thought about it from this perspective yet.
Dodger Stadium appears to be just fine after Tropical Storm Hilary passed through.
Obviously, the situation in southern California is a pretty scary one right now. Even with Hurricane Hilary being downgraded to a tropical storm, the area has still seen some pretty devastating weather over the last few days.
For much of Monday, people thought that those dangerous flooding conditions were also impacting Dodger Stadium. There was a photo and a video circulating around the internet that seemed to indicate that it was true. It also didn’t help that the storm was essentially directly over the stadium, per the Los Angeles Times.
But, contrary to popular belief, it seems that Dodger Stadium isn’t actually flooded. In fact, it looks just fine.
No one expects flash flooding in a hot desert environment. However, as extreme weather events become more common and severe worldwide, people may need to start expecting the unexpected. Recently, Death Valley National Park was the site of one such weather anomaly. As one of the driest and hottest areas in the United States, Death Valley was hit hard by heavy rainfall and flooding on Monday, Aug. 1, and Friday, Aug. 5. The park plans to remain closed into next week.
“The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event,” Daniel Berc, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Las Vegas, said in a National Park Service news release. “A 1000-year event doesn’t mean it happens once per 1000 years, rather that there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.”
The record-breaking rainfall delivered almost a year’s worth of rain to Death Valley in just three hours. Preliminary data recorded 1.46 inches of rain at the park’s Furnace Creek area. The park’s all-time record for rainfall occurred on April 15, 1988, after 1.47 inches of rain.
While no injuries were reported, the flooding temporarily trapped hundreds of visitors to the area. Debris swept up by the flood also covered 60 vehicles, according to NPR. As for Death Valley National Park’s infrastructure, “severe asphalt damage” has affected hundreds of miles of roads. Repairs will take time, and park superintendent Mike Reynolds says future extreme weather damage may be in the future.
“Death Valley is an incredible place of extremes,” Reynolds said. “It is the hottest place in the world, and the driest place in North America. This week’s 1,000 year flood is another example of this extreme environment. With climate change models predicting more frequent and more intense storms, this is a place where you can see climate change in action!”
The planet is heating up. So are calls for climate action.
Last Wednesday, June 20, United States President Joe Biden posted a tweet addressing the climate emergency. In the same message, Biden singled out a lack of climate action from Congress. Amid news about historic heatwaves and other environmental disasters, Biden’s announcement has drawn media attention. With further details from the Biden administration pending, here are some key facts to know about the climate emergency.
Understanding the climate emergency
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the term “climate emergency” refers to the world’s current climate change situation. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels contribute to an increased concentration of greenhouse gasses in Earth’s atmosphere. As the concentration rises, so does the world’s average global temperature. Over the past decade, the impact of rising temperatures can be seen through environmental disasters like the recent U.K. heatwave.
My message today is loud and clear: Since Congress is not acting on the climate emergency, I will.
And in the coming weeks my Administration will begin to announce executive actions to combat this emergency.
While scientists have raised climate concerns for years, a cultural shift may be driving the renewed political discussion about climate action. As activists like Greta Thunberg, groups like the Sunrise Movement, and films like “Don’t Look Up” make headlines, people are urging their representatives to make real changes for the environment.
Calls for climate action
Recently, the call for climate action gained over 100 influential allies. In a letter reported on by The Lever, Common Dreams, and Vice, 165 government staffers called on Biden to prioritize climate policy.
“Every day that you do not act, the climate crisis spirals further out of control,” the letter states. “The coming days represent our best opportunity to address the climate crisis and save countless lives with robust climate justice policy. Even if Democrats control both chambers and the White House again in four years, inaction in this moment will cause an era of record temperatures, extreme drought, sea level rise, and other deadly climate disasters. We do not have years to waste. We have little more than a week.”
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING: 165 Congressional and agency staff have sent a letter to President Biden and Senator Schumer this morning demanding robust climate policy and a climate emergency declaration now.
The letter outlines a “multi-pronged approach” to addressing the climate crisis. A formal climate emergency declaration from Biden tops the letter’s list of necessary actions. Further interventions include ending fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and restarting stalled Senate climate policy negotiations.
“President Biden, you have an exigent responsibility to reduce suffering all over the world, and the power and skills to do so, but time is running out,” staffers wrote. “You are the President of the United States of America at a pivotal moment in the history of the world. All that we ask is that you do everything in your power. We’ve done our part. We implore you to do yours.”
Now you see it, soon you won’t. Visit these disappearing natural wonders now.
Say goodbye to these beautiful destinations before they are gone forever. Some major natural landmarks may disappear in your lifetime. While many areas change naturally over time, human activity and climate change also take their toll. Darwin’s Arch collapsed into the water after years of erosion, and Oregon’s Cape Kiwanda sandstone pedestal fell due to vandalism. Conservation measures can help protect some sites, but others may simply be destined to fade away. That means your time to visit these natural wonders is limited. Here are a few landmarks to see before they are gone for good.
