Aberdeen Country Club reopening Friday, the last area course to do so following flooding

With the reopening of Aberdeen Country Club in Longs on Friday, the Grand Strand will have its full complement of approximately 100 golf courses for the first time since record rainfall hit the area early this month.

Aberdeen was the course most impacted by rainfall from Oct. 1-5 that was registered at 2 feet in some areas of the Strand, including Longs, by the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C., and is the last course to reopen following flooding.

The course drains into the Waccamaw River, which crested well above flood levels several days after the rain, so parts of the course were holding water for more than three weeks.

Aberdeen’s first scheduled tee time Friday is 8 a.m.

Only 18 of the course’s 27 holes will be open – the Highlands and Meadows nines. The Woodlands nine is still being prepared by workers, who are dealing with areas of standing water and a bridge in need of repair, and is expected to open in the coming days.

Aberdeen head pro Steve Shaffer said the course did not experience any structural damage despite three-plus weeks of flooding.

Water reached the top step of the clubhouse but did not enter the building. Pro shop merchandise was placed on high shelves or was transported to nearby sister course Long Bay Club as a precaution, and carts were driven to a high point of the property and were undamaged. The clubhouse was thoroughly cleaned during the down time.

“People will not see any effects from the flooding at Aberdeen Country Club,” Shaffer said in a release. “Our staff has done an excellent job maintaining the course, and we look forward to seeing golfers out again.”

The majority of the Strand’s courses reopened by Oct. 7 and nearly all were open by Oct. 9, though the front nine of The Witch on S.C. 544 in Conway just reopened last Friday.

The front nine sits in a swamp that is close to the Waccamaw River and could not be accessed by golf cart for a couple weeks. Players were able to ride fairways for a few days this week, as fairways were drier than some low-lying cart path areas. The course was overseeded for the winter Monday.

Already a nature preserve of sorts with a myriad of birds and wildlife, the front nine of The Witch now appears to have more alligators than before the storm. “I saw more than I’ve seen in the past,” Witch head pro Randy Laney said. “They may have floated our way.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Aberdeen Country Club reopening Friday, the last area course to do so following flooding."