Straight‑line winds topple more than 100 trees at county golf property; cleanup, insurance review underway

Kenosha County golf operations staff reported significant tree damage after a straight‑line wind event the evening of May 16 that downed or broke more than 100 trees on county golf property and closed parts of a course.

“On Thursday night about 05:30 PM, we experienced a straight line wind event…Over a hundred trees were either downed or broken in half,” the golf report said. The worst damage was reported on the front nine of one course, which remained closed as crews removed large debris.

Cleanup and insurance Staff said they have documented damage with photos and are tracking labor and equipment use. They have met with the county’s insurance carrier to determine whether filing a claim is appropriate and requested an adjuster to inspect the site. The superintendent and staff pushed initial debris to enable safe access and were able to reopen most holes within days; staff estimated that hiring a contractor for full cleanup could cost about $200,000.

Staff and supervisors credited parks and highway crews for helping with the immediate response and said they documented every tree and damaged area for potential insurance recovery. “We are tracking all of the hours and equipment usage that we’re spending out there,” a supervisor summarizing the report said.

Course play and replanting Officials said play continued on many holes and they plan to replant trees where removals were part of site preparation or where trees were invasive, dead, or posed long‑term risk. Staff said they would take a measured approach to replanting and that only a handful of trees affected playability of greens.

Ending: Staff will continue to document damage, solicit contractor proposals if insurance will cover cleanup, and pursue insurance adjustment; they said they can perform cleanup over time if a claim is not approved.