Hurricane Helene raced through Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in late September, leaving nothing but a wasteland of destruction in the aftermath.
Its path included Augusta, Georgia, which saw countless homes, buildings, and essential pieces of infrastructure suffer extensive damage. That also included Augusta National, perhaps the holiest place in all of golf.
Despite that, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley, speaking in a press conference at the Latin America Amateur Championship in Argentina, provided an update on how the course fared through the storm.
“[The golf course is] in spectacular condition,” Ridley said.
“We had minor damage to the course, the playing surfaces themselves, but we were able to get that back in shape, but I don’t think you’re going to see any difference in the condition for the Masters this year.”
Ridley also noted that the course lost a few trees.
But the club’s focus has always been on who needs help outside of the club’s gates rather than what needs to be addressed on the inside.
“Hurricane Helene was really a devastating event for the Augusta community and for a number of communities in the southeast, particularly in western North Carolina, which I know you probably read about,” Ridley added.
“What I’m the most proud of is the response of our entire organization to that natural disaster, which is really what it was. And not only what they did to get Augusta National back in shape, but as importantly, how they pitched in with the Augusta community and really helped out because there were many, many people, many of our people were out of their homes for a number of weeks. No electricity. The community didn’t have water for a while. So, I’m just really proud of how our entire organization responded to that.”
On Oct. 3, the club announced that it had pledged $5 million toward the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund. This pledge came just days after the storm made landfall and tore through the region.
“I was in Augusta in the days immediately after the storm and have seen firsthand its devastating impact,” Ridley said in a statement released then.
“Our employees, neighbors, friends, and business owners need, and deserve, immediate and meaningful assistance to overcome the hardships being experienced at this moment throughout Augusta.
“Augusta National and the Community Foundation each take to heart our obligation to care for our community. Our goal is to make a difference when it’s needed the most, and our hope is that our gift may inspire others to assist or ask how they may contribute to this critical mission.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
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