The Menomonee River cuts through the northeast corner of Milwaukee County Parks' Currie Park Golf Course and the northern segment of Hansen Park Golf Course. The river offers scenic settings for rounds of golf in Wauwatosa —except when it rises to hazard stage.
That was the case earlier this month after torrential rain Aug. 9 and 10 flooded the Menomonee River throughout Wauwatosa, including at the Currie and Hansen courses, forcing both to close partially or fully for the two weeks after the storm.
At Currie, "nearly every hole was affected by the flooding, including fallen trees and tree limbs on many holes," Andy Gieryn, the county's golf services manager, said in response to an inquiry from Tosa Forward News. "Areas closest to the Menomonee River were obviously affected the most and were completely under water for several days, including tee boxes on holes 9 and 18 and nearly all areas of holes 16 and 17."
The scenario was similarly dire at Hansen, where the rainfall and river flooding affected every hole.
Both courses were able to gradually reopen their front nine and then back nine and now are fully reopened, with the exception of hole 15 at Hansen.
"The golf maintenance staff and forestry crews did an outstanding job," Gieryn said, with the goal of reopening "as soon as possible following the historic flooding," Gieryn said. Hole 15 at Hansen sustained damage to its green and will require more time to recover.
WTMJ-TV interviewed golfers at Currie last weekend as they returned to the course's fairways and greens.
"Obviously there's some damage, but looks like they've opened up and it's playing good, so we're happy to be here," golfer Michael Reilly told WTMJ.
Gieryn said he did not yet have an estimate on the cost of damages, though the course lost about $40,000 in revenue from the closures at Currie and $10,000 from the closures at Hansen.
Golfers play an average of 39,000 rounds of golf each year at Currie and about 25,000 at Hansen, depending on the length of the playable season and the weather.
