KILLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Last weekend’s storm left the Killington Golf Course out to dry. Flooding ripped up the green, creating massive ravines. Mid-May usually marks when the golf season tees off. But golfers in Killington could have to store their clubs a little longer.
When the rain came, the Killington Golf Course had been open for just a day and a half.
“Storm is on the way, I pull up the radar, and I see it’s coming, and it’s not moving very quickly. You start to lose sleep immediately,” said Scott Watelet, the golf course’s superintendent.
Throughout the weekend, the resort got just over three inches of rain. Two failed culverts spilled debris onto the fairway, ripping up grass and leaving large ravines in the cart paths. Watelet says the course elevation of 500 feet of vertical makes it hard to keep the grounds intact during storms. “When we do get a big event, the waters got somewhere to go. Usually ends up at the bottom like we are here,” he said.
Staff are now working around the clock to patch up the closed course in time for Memorial Day weekend. Watelet says it’s the worst damage they’ve seen since Irene in 2011, but timing was on their side. “If you’re going to have it, I’d rather have it now at the beginning so we can kind of fortify it and then pick up the season and finish strong.”
Storms later in the season, like 2023′s July flooding, can cut the season short. Resort staff say it’s taught them to prepare, buying more equipment to repair the course themselves for faster recovery. “We’ve gotten pretty good at handling the situation. And if this were a decade ago, might have caused us to be out of commission for weeks,” said the resort’s Josh Reed.
Watelet’s team fixed the culverts and curbed flooding. Now, they’re focused on filling ravines and cleaning up debris. It’s an expensive endeavor, but Watelet says it’ll make them stronger. “We’re figuring out where the weaknesses are, and we’re making them better. That’s the best we can do,” he said.
The Killington Golf Course crew hoped to open for Memorial Day weekend but posted on social media on Wednesday that they can’t make the deadline.
With more rain and even snow on the horizon, the bike park and adventure center are also closed this weekend.
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