Northern California has been battered in recent days by strong winds, rain and even snow, and there is more extreme weather on the way, according to Weather.com. Two people have died in the storms so far and more than 176,000 are without power as of Thursday evening, the site reported.
The area’s famed golf courses are not immune to what is called the atmospheric river that’s driving the storms. That’s especially so for the layouts close to the Pacific Ocean coastline as massive waves and flooding threaten golf holes. Even inland, many course operators are dealing with flooding and the effects of winds that reached 80 mph at elevation and 50 mph in San Francisco and Sacramento. It will be days before the full effects of the storm can be tallied.
Sometimes called “rivers in the sky,” atmospheric rivers are a major factor in extreme rain and snowfall in the West.
Long, narrow corridors of air heavy with moisture form when warmer air from the tropics moves toward the poles ahead of powerful storm fronts. They can carry huge amounts of water over thousands of miles.
Atmospheric rivers function much like rivers on the surface but can carry even more water than the Mississippi River.
MORE: USA TODAY explains atmospheric rivers
One coastal golf club that appears to have been hit hard is Monterey Peninsula Country Club, home to two layouts – the Dunes and the Shore – that both are ranked by Golfweek’s Best to be among the top 10 private clubs in California. Several posts to social media and other clips sent to Golfweek have shown apparent damage to the club’s Dunes Course along the water.
Just a #tragic scene on the #monterey peninsula ⛳️ #MPCC dunes course#chernobyl but destruction by 💦 🌊 #golf #power #adios 🙏 ☠️ pic.twitter.com/906fnhHNWb
— @HackersWindow (@hackers_window) January 5, 2023
It’s worth noting that despite the tweet’s reference of Chernobyl, the full extent of the damage isn’t clear, though it certainly is eye-opening. A call to the operators at Monterey Peninsula Country Club went to voicemail Thursday afternoon.
Alan Shipnuck of Fire Pit Collective reported later in the day that the club anticipates being able to repair the damage to No. 14 on the Dunes Course and that the hole will be closed “for just a little while.”
I just talked to J.J. West, the general manager at MPCC, and he says the damage is repairable and the 14th hole of the Dunes will be closed “for just a little while.” But to understand the waves that hit Pebble this morning, the top of the Lone Cypress is 150’ above sea level! https://t.co/XpWKbWCTnC pic.twitter.com/fhxYP8KcYg
— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) January 5, 2023
There are several other famed courses exposed to the weather pounding Monterey Peninsula, including Cypress Point, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, the Links at Spanish Bay, even the popular municipal Pacific Grove Golf Links. Golfweek reached out to several course operators without hearing back. California Governor Gavin Newsome has declared a state of emergency, and evacuations have been issued in parts of Monterey County and other areas.
Any damage – with none reported so far – to Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill or Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course could prove problematic for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the annual PGA Tour event scheduled Feb. 2-5. Pebble Beach also will be host to the U.S. Women’s Open in July.
USA Today’s Janet Loehrke, Ramon Padilla and Dinah Voyles Pulver contributed to this article.
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