Watersound Club Delivers a Safer Experience Across Its Golf Courses

The Challenge
Balancing safety with the member experience  
Throughout the summer, afternoon thunderstorms are a regular part of life along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Lightning can develop with little warning, requiring staff to react quickly and communicate with golfers located across multiple courses.

When severe weather develops, clear communication is essential. Flannagan and his team must communicate 
quickly, move golfers to safety, and determine when conditions are safe for play to resume.

The Solution
A coordinated outdoor warning system
For Watersound Club, lightning presents the greatest weather risk to members and guests. When lightning enters a predetermined radius, a coordinated response is automatically initiated across the property. The club uses a network of eight outdoor warning sirens, integrated into its broader weather safety process, to ensure clear communication across the courses. The sirens help ensure golfers, members, guests, and staff receive immediate notification when lightning threatens the area.

Golfers also receive alerts through connected golf cart systems, while operational dashboards are updated. Once lightning enters the alert radius, multiple systems activate automatically. “The alarms go off, the email gets sent internally, the tee sheet gets notified, and then the golf carts are told to stop, come in,” Flannagan said. 

The system also provides countdown timers and all-clear notifications, helping staff determine when conditions are safe for golfers to return to the course.

In addition to automated alerts, he and his team proactively monitor conditions to help move golfers to safety before severe weather reaches the property whenever possible.

“We try to be proactive, even before it reaches the boundary that we have set,” he said. “We just use common sense to get people in safely.”


The Results
Faster decisions and greater confidence
Success is measured by helping the club’s staff make timely decisions that protect people while minimizing disruption to the member experience.

Automated warning sirens, lightning monitoring, operational alerts, countdown timers, and all-clear notifications provide a consistent approach to severe weather safety across the club’s golf properties.

“DTN has helped our team make faster and more confident decisions by far,” Flannagan said. “The software makes it very self-explanatory.”

The result is a safer environment for members, guests, and staff, greater confidence in weather-related decisions, and a smoother return to play once conditions improve. 

Looking Ahead
Safety, efficiency, and peace of mind
As Watersound Club continues to serve members and guests across its golf properties, weather safety remains a critical part of daily operations.

With a comprehensive outdoor warning system and clearly defined safety procedures in place, Flannagan and his team can communicate quickly, respond confidently, and help members and guests return to the course seamlessly once conditions allow.