March’s relentless storms left Norwood Country Club looking less like a golf course and more like a lake. The twin downpours that drenched southern Massachusetts flooded fairways, submerged greens, and turned the driving range into a temporary pond, halting play for weeks. The Neponset River overflowed its banks, spilling into the course and transforming the landscape into a watery expanse where only flagsticks and the tops of bright‑yellow yardage markers hinted at the fairways below.
“It looked like a lake,” said Pat Berger, the club’s manager. “The entire golf course was completely under water.” The flooding was so extensive that a bench from the 12th tee was later found more than a hundred yards away, near Norwood Memorial Airport. Steps made of railroad ties and a retaining wall were swept downstream. When the water finally receded, debris littered the fairways—logs, fish, and even snapping turtles displaced by the swollen river.
Nearby Brookmeadow Country Club in Canton faced similar challenges. Manager Ann MacDonald recalled marking “Rain, rain, rain” across her March calendar as two massive storms dumped nearly fifteen inches of water on the region. Both courses, situated near the Neponset, were forced to close for extended periods, reopening gradually as conditions improved. Norwood reopened with nine playable holes, while Brookmeadow reopened briefly before the second storm forced another closure.
Despite the damage, there were silver linings. The flooding struck before peak season, sparing the clubs from major revenue losses, and the saturated soil produced unusually lush, green grass once the sun returned. “Right now it’s beautiful,” said MacDonald. “You’d hardly know we had flooding.” Berger agreed, noting that the early‑season timing prevented long‑term harm. “It’s Mother Nature,” he said. “What can you do?”
Source: Boston Globe, 2010
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