An Aberdeenshire golf course which was devastated by the New Year floods has reopened nine of its holes following weeks of hard graft.
And the team at Ballater Golf Club have confirmed the course is on track for a full reopening at the end of March – just in time for this year’s golfing season.
Holes one, six, seven, eight, nine, 17 and 18 are now all open at weekends for golfers.
Club secretary, Colin Smith, said the staff were hoping for a successful season this year despite the destruction wreaked by Storm Frank in and around the village.
Mild winter weather, along with melting snow and persistent rainfall, led to the River Dee overflowing on December 30 – with Ballater bearing the brunt of the floods.
In the weeks that followed, with heavy rainfall continuing to cast a blight over the region, the rivers Don, Ury and Ythan also overflowed, forcing people in Kintore, Inverurie, Port Elphinstone and Kemnay out of their homes.
A total of 307 homes and 60 businesses in Ballater were affected. And insurers have been unable to cover much of the cost of the damage at the golf course – which neighboured the village’s wrecked caravan site – as it is on a flood plain.
However, members turned up in droves to offer their help bringing the greens they enjoy back up to scratch in time for the new season.
The path network around the course is now “no more” after the Dee consumed much of the grounds – hitting the first, fourth and 18th holes most severely.
The water also tore a new path through the fourth hole, whilst elsewhere, bunkers were washed away and debris was left scattered across the course.
Mr Smith added: “We have nine holes open at weekends, the full course opens from the start of the season. Everything is going according to plan.
“It is obviously never a good time (for golf), the winter time, anyway. But once the grass starts growing, we get some greenery about the place.
“It will be back to normal or as normal as possible. There are still one or two members appearing every day to help out.
“A lot of people are obviously devastated with their homes being ruined by the storm for up to a year, and shops and businesses as well. They are struggling.”
Mr Smith added there was still clearing-up work being carried out at several greens.