New drone footage shows extent of damage at Augusta National following Hurricane Helene – with hole ‘destroyed’

The devastating destruction left by Hurricane Helene on Augusta National has been laid bare by shocking new drone footage.

The Masters’ home was battered by the catastrophic hurricane that swept through the southeastern United States late last month, leaving behind unimaginable damage for millions of Americans.

The infamous golf course was hit by 210km/h gusts, leaving the usually pristine grounds of the notoriously private club in disarray.

Two weeks later – and six months before golf’s biggest names descend Magnolia Lane – new images show the iconic undulating fairways still in tatters.

As the drone flies over the legendary Amen Corner, up to five downed trees can be seen scattered along the course, some even encroaching on the usually pristine fairways of the most famous golf course.

Shocking new drone footage lays bare Augusta National’s devastating destruction

As the drone flies over the legendary Amen Corner, many trees are scattered across the fairways.

In other shots, tee boxes appear to have narrowly avoided demolition after the huge trunks of Augusta’s iconic pine trees collapsed around the spots where the sport’s biggest stars will begin attempting to slip into the jacket green in April.

Meanwhile, in other photos, Augusta’s 16th hole – the legendary location of Tiger Woods’ famous chip-in in 2005 – lies in ruins.

The Par-3 is said to be “destroyed” with two fallen trees seen sprawled across the sloping green bordered by the Redbud bunker and the hole’s front water trap a muddy brown color.

After shocking footage immediately after Helene showed Magnolia Lane completely disheveled with tree trunks blocking the famous entrance to the clubhouse, Augusta announced it was “assessing the damage”.

Augusta National president Fred Ridley then provided an update on the major tournament, insisting the battle for the green jacket would continue.

“The Masters will take place, (and) it will take place 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 take place April 10-13, when world number one Scottie Scheffler will defend his title.

Augusta National closed in May for its annual summer vacation and was scheduled to reopen in mid-October.

T-shirts appear to have narrowly avoided demolition after iconic pine trees collapsed

Augusta’s par-3 16th is in ruins with two trees sprawled across its sloping green

Ridley confirmed that the iconic undulating fairways of the infamous Georgia course had suffered “a lot of damage.”

“We have been without power, water and other essentials for several days,” Ridley said. “So it really makes you understand what can happen when there’s a natural disaster like that.”

“As far as the golf course goes, it was really hit, as was the rest of the community…there was a lot of damage and a lot of people are 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 literally have dozens of people working at the club, and what I’m really most proud of is that while everyone is certainly focused on getting us up and running and getting back up and running, our employees have been so focused on the community as a whole,” Ridley said.

“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 played a big role in that, which I think, says a lot for them and the culture of the club.

After the devastating storm, rebuilding begins not only at Augusta National but also for the millions of Americans affected by the disaster.

Helene’s high winds and flooding killed more than 230 people, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017.

Augusta Gardens are generally a picture of peace and tranquility (photo from April 2023)

The Masters is still scheduled to take place April 10-13 when Scottie Scheffler defends his title.

PGA Tour cult icon John Daly was one of many Americans affected by the catastrophic effects of the hurricane that swept across the United States.

The professional golfer revealed that his home in the Sunshine State, along with other family members’ properties, was completely destroyed 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 I’ve ever seen. I hope everyone is safe and gets back to their homes. My heart goes out to everyone.

“We’re going to lose three, maybe four,” he said of his and his family’s home.

“I didn’t even go back to mine,” he added. “I restructured it, repaired it. I hadn’t been there for two years; I put all the stuff in there and then it all went away.