Jones Park rises from muck

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Yes, Jones Park Golf Course closed last summer because of the historic flood. What really got it, though, was the mud and muck and yuck.

Most of the course was covered with 2 inches of mud. The grounds staff removed 1,300 cubic yards of mud from greens, tees and fairways. That's enough river goo to bury a football field 7 inches deep.

The crew found 55-gallon drums that needed haz-mat teams for removal. There were thousands of fish. A whole bunch of tractor tires.

How did all that smell?

"It was a combination of the landfill smell here," Jones superintendent Jeff Schmidt said. "And then when all that muck starts drying ... all those dead fish lying around ... it wasn't pleasant."

By the time the Cedar River crested at 31 feet, the muck covered 11 greens, 12 tee boxes, 15 fairways, 12 bunkers and 30 acres of rough. What made matters worse was damage to the irrigation pump and motor. They were submerged for two months. Floodwater was pumped onto the muck in a rescue attempt.

"After about two days of boating out to the greens and using pumps, you start to realize pretty quickly that you're not going to rescue any grass," Schmidt said. "You just want to clean up and reseed."

Months of rehab -- which cost about $200,000 -- went into Jones' May 22nd reopening. After a round a couple of weekends ago, I have to say it's like the flood never happened. Tons of volunteer effort went into bringing back the course that first opened in 1959.

Oh, yeah, there is the fact that Jones' beautiful clubhouse, which opened in 2001 when an 18-hole Jones opened, is still shuttered. A trailer serves as a makeshift pro-shop and concession stand. The clubhouse is slated to reopen in 2010.

But other than the clubhouse, Jones is fine.

Even Nos. 11 and 12 that border Prairie Creek seem fine. They will often be wet -- they're in a flood plain and the DNR has restrictions that don't allow a lot of flood protection there -- but even after minor spring flooding they're playable.

"Everybody is very excited to be back," said course pro Dave Roe. "Everybody is really impressed with the conditions of the course at this point."

Because the greens are so new and so young, they've been left long. Also, rounds are being spaced 15 minutes apart. Jones will move to 12-minute tee times in July. Ten-minute tee times are the summer normal at Jones.

The one time rehabbed Jones got me, I didn't even realize it was because of the rehab. On No. 18, I went into the green with a sand wedge from about 110 yards. Hit it high and it was tracking, but I took it a little too close to the big green-guarding tree. It clipped some leaves and fell short into the bunker.

All the bunkers at Jones were redone. The new sand is really, really soft.

It took pole vaulting, dynamite, choppers and laughing gas to get it out, but I did. It hardly spoiled the round.

Soooooo glad Jones is back.

If you play

• What: Jones Golf Course, Cedar Rapids municipal, par 70
• Where: Jones Park, 2901 Fruitland Blvd. SW
• How much: $18.20-$25.70 for 18, 9-hole rate at times, $13 for cart ($9 for 9)
• Tee times: Preferred but not required, (319) 285-5581
• Online: www.playcedarrapidsgolf.com

The lowdown on Jones Park Golf Course

Toughest hole- So many. The card says No. 8, a 173-yard par 3 from the white tees, is the top handicap. I'll admit, par is a great score for me. I'm usually a bogey. But the hole that's always given me fits is No. 16, a 500-yard par 5. From the tee, straight -- perfectly straight -- is the shot. The fairway has a bit of a crown to it. Anything left will find a pond. Anything right will stray into 14 fairway or tee area.

The second shot forces you to make a decision. Can you carry the weed hazard? Can you keep it straight, with two nasty thatches of timber guarding both sides of the landing area? Do you lay up? The yardages are marked on the cart path. It said I had 150 yards to the weeds. I hit a 3 wood about 40 yards short of the green and made par.

Easiest hole- No. 10 is a short, simple par 5. It's 482 yards from the white tees. There is a bunker on the left that might take the green in two out of question. There is some minor timber on the right of the fairway, which is wide enough to hold even my fade to slice. The approach does demand accuracy. Stray too far right and it's ditch and weeds short of the No. 11 tee box. Go left, you'll find a pond that also comes into play if you're over the green or wide left on No. 7. The green is elevated and long is gone, so going for it in two isn't a great idea. I left a 5-wood just short and right, chipped a little too long and two-putted for par.

Overall impression- What I like about Jones is that it forces you to practice some game management, whether you want to or not. Sure, you could go for the green in two on No. 16, but can you do it? The par 5s are mostly breathers, but they have a decent amount of risk/reward that you need to consider. Also, Jones has holes that don't fit my low-fade game, like No. 9, an easy par 5 that doglegs to the left. I never go left, so I rarely have a chance to score here. I really missed Jones Park after the 2008 flood. The course is always going to battle Prairie Creek on the back nine, but it's a worthy fight. I've written it before and I say it all the time, we should bow to Cedar Rapids' golfing forefathers. We're blessed with excellent munis.