Hurricane Helene
Masters 'assessing' impact of Hurricane Helene to course as Augusta, Ga., community suffers 'catastrophic' damage
In the early hours of Friday morning, tropical storm Helene—which made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday—barreled into Georgia, felling trees, flooding rivers and knocking out power to tens of thousands. One of the state’s hardest hit towns was the small hamlet of Augusta, the home of Augusta National Golf Club and site of the Masters.
At 5:37 a.m. on Sept. 27, National Weather Service equipment at Augusta Regional Airport, which sees a massive influx of private jets for the Masters each spring, recorded a hurricane-force wind gust of 82 mph. A short while later, observations from the location ceased, suggesting the monitoring equipment had been rendered inoperable by the storm.
When the sun rose a few hours later, the scope of the damage to Augusta, located near the South Carolina border about 145 miles east of Atlanta, became devastatingly clear. Residents took to social media to share images of the destruction, many of which may be hard to fathom for golf fans who usually see the area during its springtime splendor.
The scenes on Friday morning were horrifying, a reminder of the raw power of a hurricane even hundreds of miles inland. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the residents of Augusta, Ga., first and foremost. There is no data currently available on injuries or a death toll, but early estimates suggest more than 150,000 are already without power in the area. The images and video show torrential rain, collapsed buildings, downed power lines and an almost unimaginable loss of vegetation due to a disastrous combination of hurricane-force winds and saturated root systems.
As golf journalists and fans, we also extend our best wishes to the employees and patrons of Augusta National. The extent of the damage to arguably the most sacred golf course on earth remains unclear. On Saturday morning, ANGC chairman released the following statement via social media.
The club is on its annual summer break, having been closed since May and scheduled to reopen in mid-October. It's unclear whether the storm might delay the opening.
We did get a glimpse of the possibilities last year, however, when strong winds toppled multiple trees at the 2023 Masters, nearly striking patrons on the 17th hole. Play was suspended for the remainder of the second round as the grounds crew made quick work of the debris, but it was a reminder just how fragile (and dangerous) Augusta National’s famous flora can be.
We will keep you updated on the condition of Augusta and Augusta National Golf Club as the full breadth and severity of the damage becomes clear. In the meantime, keep the community in your thoughts as they begin the long process of repairing, rebuilding and returning not just to golf, but everyday life.