Hurricane Helene: Augusta National keeps focus on community, not golf course damage

The remnants of Hurricane Helene blew into Augusta, Georgia on Friday morning with massive, destructive winds, bringing down trees and causing extensive damage. While the extent of any damage at Augusta National Golf Club remains unclear, the club released a statement Saturday keeping the focus on the surrounding community. Several residents in the area died during the storms, and much of the area remains under curfew during the weekend as crews work to address damage and restore services.

“Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club,” ANGC chairman Fred Ridley said in the statement. “In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as everyone throughout Georgia and the Southeast who have been affected.”

Wind speed indicators measured a hurricane-level gust of 82 miles per hour at Augusta’s airport at 5:37 a.m. on Friday. That’s more than enough to bring down the high pines in the city, which often have shallow root structures. The remnants of the storm, which blew ashore in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, brought high winds for several hours to the area.

Images on social media in the wake of Helene’s arrival in and around Augusta appeared to show images of shorn and broken pines, as well as an overflowing Rae’s Creek, the waterway that runs through Amen Corner.

Last year, pine trees fell at Augusta National during the Masters’ windy second round. No patrons were injured, and the trees were removed and damage repaired before the start of the third round.

The Eisenhower Tree, the most famous tree on Augusta National’s property, suffered damage during a 2014 ice storm and was removed soon afterward.