BERTRAND TOWNSHIP — Sometimes Stephanie Layman feels like a meteorologist.

Layman said she had her meteorologist inclination on Monday, when storm clouds were en route to the course on West River Road. Worried the rainfall would disrupt the golf league playing, she and her staff bent over computers, checking two different weather reports from Michigan and Indiana. Air horns to call golf off were at the ready.

The need to closely watch the weather is especially important this year for the Signal Point Golf Club manager. It is the third wettest year on record for Michigan, with 37.9 inches of rain recorded from May 2018 to May 2019.

Weather must always be taken into consideration for outdoor sports venues, Layman said. But continuous precipitation can pose additional challenges.

Thankfully, Layman said, most golf courses come with drainage systems, and Signal Point’s has been effective, like it was on Monday.

“Sure, there were a couple places where it was wet,” she said, “but the high spots were dry, and I could already see. there were certain areas where the water stopped flowing across the road.”

All golf courses are graded, or sloped. This allows water to run off high points, fall to the low points and either be absorbed into the ground or drained into a larger body of water.

Having the St. Joseph River right by holes nine and 18 makes drainage easier, despite the river’s high water levels, said David Conklin, golf superintendent.

“Some places, the ground is saturated. So, even if we get a little bit of rain, we might, in those trouble spots, have a little bit of wet,” Layman said. “But generally speaking, it’s been drying pretty decently.”

Some golf courses may have better drainage systems than others, but few are entirely flooded when rain hits thanks to grading, Layman said. Instead, a few patches of soaked spots appear, like on Signal Point’s sixth hole.

Some areas on the course, like greens, have additional means to prevent groundwater. Signal Point’s greens have 10 inches of washed gravel, a 2-inch filtered bed and a 14-inch mixture of sand, moss and topsoil.

However, when rain looms or has fallen, precautions are still needed, meaning effective communication is key, Layman said. For staff, that could mean driving out to all golfers on the course to warn them of imminent weather.

It also means conveying tips and rules about soppy conditions to golfers before they tee off. Golf superintendent Conklin said Signal Point advises golfers to stay on the cart paths and rough as much as possible, especially in the rain.

Layman said she advises golfers to be gentler when it is wet, whether that be with a golf swing or with a golf cart. Damp grass can be damaged easier than dry grass, leading to a damaged course.

Under most circumstances, Conklin said he is able to continue golf shortly after heavy rain.

“My general rule of thumb here has been if we get a quick downpour, like an inch, we wait two hours after it’s done,” he said.

Conklin said the rain might even save the course money.

“It’s been very nice on the irrigation system,” he said.

Layman agreed.

“We try to keep looking at the bright side,” she said. “Anytime time either one of us grumbles, I try to remind them, ‘But we haven’t had to irrigate.”’