Diamond CC: Optimism after total flooding
“The damage runs into the millions” – Christian Guzy jnr. takes a sobering view of the flooding of the three golf courses at the Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg near Vienna, Austria. Triggered by extremely heavy rainfall and a burst dam along the River Perschling, enormous quantities of water poured over the golf courses and into the buildings in mid-September. The water on the golf course, which is characterized by a large central lake and various ponds, was at times two metres higher than normal. The small river Perschling itself, otherwise rather inconspicuous, rose to a water level of seven meters at times. A damage commission with an expert has long since assessed the situation on site. But even at the end of October, there was still water in the basement of the clubhouse. The sanitary facilities and pump houses were broken, and the boathouse was completely under water. Above all, however, the golf courses looked like a lake landscape for days on end.
The Danube, whose banks can be reached by car in ten minutes, has never directly caused flooding at the golf course, which has hosted several DP World Tour tournaments in recent years. “Groundwater has always been more of an issue for us because it tends to rise a few days later when the Danube floods,” explains Guzy. “In this respect, we have always looked for flood insurance in combination with groundwater, but nobody wanted to insure that.” Now, they are hoping for the aid money the Austrian government has made available to the flood victims.
Re-turfing of 22 hectares of fairways
Regardless of this, preparations for the next season have long since begun. Many members were out on the course together with the owners immediately after the damage occurred, shovelling away mud or carrying out other clean-up work. The response from members was highly positive, with only one member cancelling the membership. Numerous other golf clubs provided support with free green fees for Diamond Country Club members.
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In the meantime, the focus is already on the 2025 season: “We have to returf 22 hectares of fairways and ten greens on the entire course, and the bunkers are all broken,” says Guzy. “Our aim is to offer golf on the championship course in April under the same first-class conditions as in 2024.” To make this possible, there is no way around the purchase of turf, which is usually only used for small areas due to its high price. Otherwise, the fairways would not be playable in April.
Can similar incidents be avoided in the future? “I very much hope that the dam will now be renovated so that it can withstand such rainfall,” says Guzy. “We have left the classic climate corridor in the face of climate change. A hundred-year flood is now happening more frequently.”
