The devastating destruction left by Hurricane Helene at Augusta National has been revealed thanks to shocking new drone images.
The home of the Masters was hit by the catastrophic hurricane that devastated the southeastern United States late last month, leaving behind unfathomable damage to millions of Americans.
The infamous golf course fell victim to 130mph gusts, leaving the usually pristine grounds of the notoriously private club in disarray.
Two weeks later, and six months until golf’s biggest names arrive at Magnolia Lane, new images show the iconic rolling fairways still in tatters.
As the drone flies over the legendary Amen Corner, up to five felled trees can be seen scattered across the course, with some even infringing on the normally pristine fairways of the most famous golf course.
Shocking new drone images have revealed the devastating destruction of Augusta National
As the drone flies over the legendary Amen Corner, many trees are scattered across the streets.
In other shots, tee boxes appear to have narrowly avoided demolition after the massive trunks of Augusta’s iconic pine trees collapsed around the sites where the sport’s biggest stars will begin their attempts to don the green jacket in April .
Meanwhile, in other photos, Augusta’s 16th hole, the legendary home of Tiger Woods’ famous chip-in in 2005, is in ruins.
The Par-3 is said to be “vandalized” with two downed trees seen strewn across the sloping green lined with Redbud bunkers and the hole’s front water trap a murky brown.
After shocking images immediately after Helene previously showed Magnolia Lane completely unkempt with tree trunks blocking the famous clubhouse entrance, Augusta announced it was “assessing the damage.”
Augusta National president Fred Ridley later provided a key update on the big tournament, insisting the battle for the green jacket will continue.
‘The Masters will take place, (and) it will be on the scheduled dates,’ he insisted during a press conference at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan earlier this month.
The Masters is scheduled to be held April 10-13, when world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will defend his title.
Augusta National closed in May for its annual summer break and was due to reopen in mid-October.
The tees appear to have narrowly avoided demolition after the iconic pine trees collapsed
Augusta’s par-3 16th is in ruins with two trees scattered across its sloping green
Ridley confirmed that the iconic rolling fairways of the infamous Georgia countryside had suffered “a lot of damage”.
“We have been without power, water and other essentials for several days,” Ridley said. ‘So it really impresses you what can happen when there’s a natural disaster like that.
“As far as the golf course, it really took a hit as did the rest of the community… there was a lot of damage and we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running.”
Ridley turned his attention to the broader community after Augusta National announced Thursday that it had donated $5 million to the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund.
“We’ve had literally dozens of people working at the club, and what I’ve really been most proud of is that while everyone is focused on getting us up and running, our employees have been so focused on the community in general, – said Ridley.
“We’ve been able to take care of our employees, but we’ve also been focused on what the Red Cross and other organizations are doing in Augusta, and our employees have really been a big part of that, which I think really speaks to them and the culture.” of the club”.
After the devastating storm, rebuilding begins not only at Augusta National but also for millions of Americans affected by the catastrophe.
Helene’s strong winds and flooding killed more than 230 people, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.
The Augusta grounds are often a picture of peace and tranquility (pictured April 2023)
The Masters will still take place April 10-13, when Scottie Scheffler will defend his title.
PGA Tour cult icon John Daly was one of many Americans affected by the catastrophic effects of the hurricane that devastated the United States.
The professional golfer revealed that his home in the Sunshine State, along with other family members’ properties, were completely devastated by the historic hurricane.
“It’s devastating,” Daly told PGATour.com while attending a PGA Tour Champions event at Timiquana Country Club in Jacksonville in early October.
‘It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I hope everyone is safe and gets their homes back. My heart goes out to everyone.”
“We’re going to have lost three, maybe four,” he said of his and his family’s homes.
“I just haven’t even gone back to mine,” he added. ‘I restructured it, I fixed it. I hadn’t been in for two years; I have all the things there and then everything disappears.’