Sinkholes open up at Branson, Mo., golf course - USA TODAY
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. â€" Mother Nature has added four new holes at a golf course in Branson.
Gary Pendergrass, a geological engineer with GeoEngineers, said Friday that four sinkholes had opened at the Top of the Rock Golf Course, the largest of which was 60 feet by 80 feet, and 35 feet deep.
Pendergrass said water from a pond near the one of the holes will be to prevent more water from flowing in and making it worse.
Martin MacDonald, director of conservation for Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops, was at the course Friday to survey the damage.
MacDonald noted that water is constantly circulating through bedrock below the ground in southern Missouri, creating caves â€" and sometimes, sinkholes.
Pendergrass said engineers will conduct a more in-depth investigation next week to determine the best way to replace the 7,000 cubic feet of material that's been displaced.
Filling the hole â€" when and if it's done â€" would likely take a week or two, Pendergrass said.
MacDonald said the sinkhole opened near the golf course's practice area and driving range and that scheduled golf rounds wouldn't be affected.
"If they were going to have a place for a sinkhole to open," MacDonald said, "that was not bad."
Doug Gouzie, associate professor of geology at Missouri State University, said recent heavy rains in the area likely played "a huge role" in the sinkhole's formation, Gouzie said.
Could there be more collapses at the golf course?
"That's the magic question," Gouzie said. "If there are other vertical cracks in the rocks where water can wash through, then potentially yes."
Gouzie said it would be unwise to move heavy equipment near the sinkhole or allow people to approach it because the sinkhole walls likely will continue to slough into the hole and the hole will grow wider.
A sinkhole's growth can be stopped by packing it with rocks of different sizes, as was done when a very large sinkhole opened beneath a house in Nixa several years ago. Gouzie said he planned to visit the sinkhole Saturday to get a better idea of its size and scale.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has extensive information about sinkholes in the Environmental Geology section on its website.
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