The area around Augusta National was hit hard by Hurricane Helene.
Twitter | @EurekaEarth
Augusta National said it is “assessing the effects” of Hurricane Helene, but that the club is focused on the local community less than a day after category 4 storm hit most of the South, including Augusta, Ga.
Club chairman Fred Ridley released a brief statement on social media addressing the “catastrophic and historic” storm on Saturday morning after Helene tore through the region, bringing strong winds and severe coastal flooding and leaving 225,000 Augustans without power.
“Our Augusta community has suffered a catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene,” Ridley said in a statement. “We are currently assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club.”
“In the meantime our focus and efforts are above all with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta,” Ridley said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them, as well as everyone in Georgia and the Southeast who has been affected.”
The Masters host is just one of thousands of businesses and homes across the East Coast that fell on Helene’s path Thursday and Friday. The Category 4 storm is the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in some time, packing sustained winds of up to 140 mph and killing at least 44 people across the South. Augusta, Ga. was at the center of the storm’s path, leaving many within the golf world to speculate on the safety and well-being of the club and the surrounding area.
A photo posted on the popular aerial imagery site Eureka Earth on Friday afternoon appeared to show damage to dozens of trees in one of the club’s many surrounding parking lots used for tournament patrons. No information has been shared about damage caused inside the club’s gates, or on its golf course.
Augusta National is no stranger to Mother Nature’s wrath. A powerful ice storm hit the celebrities of the club The Eisenhower Tree in the winter of 2015, and a subsequent storm during the 2023 Masters sent a pair of trees tumbling 17th tee. In both cases there were no injuries.
The 89th Masters tournament will be played from April 9-13, 2025.
