A lot us said that when we saw photographs of Iowa after the state endured severe floods in June. We thought of Hurricane Katrina and how it wiped out the Gulf Coast in 2005 with fierce flooding.

The Midwest, however, is not a safe haven from Katrina-like flooding. Much of Iowa was hammered by severe storms and intense rain last month. Eighty three of Iowa's 99 counties were declared disaster areas by Gov. Chet Culver.

Cedar Rapids, the state's second-largest city, was hard hit. In fact, the natural disaster is being called a a 500-year flood in Cedar Rapids and other parts of Iowa. That means there is a one in 500 chance of such a terrible flood occurring in any given year. Incidentally, the city's Cedar River crested at 31.2 feet, 15 feet above flood stage.

The golf course industry, of course, was greatly impacted by the flooding. But a month later, things are getting back to normal, says certified superintendent Jeff Wendel, executive director of the Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association.

"Our guys have been through hell, but they are coming out on the other end," he said.

Still, Wendel is concerned about the economic impact the flooding will have on the Iowa golf course industry. "I think it will be this time next year before we really know the economic impact," he says. "We have a number of courses that won't be open until this time next year." It has been a tough year for golf course superintendents in Iowa. The state's courses had a major problem with winterkill that superintendents had to endure. "Then, just as they started getting back in shape, the floods came," Wendel says.

Wendel says most all of the state's roughly 400 courses were impacted by the heavy rain. About 100 courses were flooded. "Some courses that don't even have streams on them were closed for a few days because of the heavy rains," he adds.

Wendel's big concern is that people have gotten out of the habit of playing golf.

"Play is way down," he says. "It will be hard to get those rounds back."

Wendel says the Iowa Golf Association has asked Gov. Culver to declare two golf holidays to spur play, not to mention the collective economic engine of the state's golf courses.

"I have to believe there are a lot of facilities that are in major financial pain," Wendel says. "But this is Iowa ... people will fix things and move on."

Speaking of Katrina, Wendel says the Louisiana-Mississippi GCSA contacted him to see if its members could help. The Iowa GCSA had done the same for its peer association after Katrina hit.

"The spirit is there," Wendel says.