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Golfers beware: an invasion is coming.
A historic cicada invasion will impact golf courses in 17 different states starting in May and lasting into early summer. According to NBC News, two separate periodical cicada "broods" will emerge simultaneously in 17 states this year. This co-emergence hasn't occurred in 221 years and won't happen again until 2245.
As if unpredictable weather and ever-increasing violent storms and natural disasters weren't problematic enough for golf courses these days.
Golfers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia are the ones most likely to be affected by up to trillions of cicada. The Brood XIII and Brood XIX are the large periodical cicada swarms emerging at the same time in different states simultaneously this year.
Check out the map below.
According to the article, cicada Brood XIX and Brood XIII "happened to make their homes adjacent to one another, with a narrow overlap in central Illinois."
The good news is these cicadas won't likely damage the golf courses and don't last very long, typically living no longer than six weeks.
"Cicadas are not generally recognized as plant pests," noted Dr. Cole Thompson, who is the United States Golf Association's Director of Turfgrass and Environmental Research. "Their larva do feed on tree roots and the adults suck sap from trees, but I’m not aware that they do any damage. Maybe to young or otherwise unhealthy trees."
Mainly, they're just a noisy nuisance. We reached out to several golf courses in multiple states for comment, but no one wanted to talk on the record, probably for fear of golfers canceling tee times if their courses were affiliated with a cicada invasion.
Not even pro golfers and major PGA Tour venues are immune to interference from cicadas. In the past, cicadas have descended upon The Memorial Tournament outside Dublin, Ohio, to pester golfers competing in one of the PGA Tour's biggest events.
We reached out to a tournament spokesman for comment, but he didn't respond. He also probably didn't want to scare any spectators away. Golfers can still tee it up or attend tournaments during this outbreak. Simply monitor your local news outlets for the timing and impact.
How much do you hate cicadas on the golf course? Let us know in the comments below.
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