September 26, 2024, is an unforgettable day for Augusta, Georgia, far away from the coast. Hurricane Helen roared past, leaving behind a devastated and devastated community, parts of which are still recovering today. Forest Hills Golf Course, run by Bobby Jones Links, has had its own unique set of misfortunes.
The Augusta University-owned classic course designed by Donald Ross, where Bobby Jones won the Southeastern Amateur the same year he won the major, has closed in June 2024 for a complete greens renovation and is scheduled to reopen on October 1, raising considerable concern. Just a few days ago, a hurricane hit. At least 1,500 trees fell and debris spread across the estate. Course staff (many whose homes were also damaged) worked overtime to clean up, two tree companies were involved, and within six weeks, the course was reopened. Today, with the completion of a number of smaller projects, Forest Hills is booming again.
“The whole team came together and got the job done,” said Joshua Deal, vice president of operations for Bobby Jones Links and president of the PGA of America Georgia Chapter. Advertisement
The machinery required to remove the trees subsequently caused extensive damage to the course. Repairs to the cart paths quickly became a priority so that it was safe to drive around the grounds, while the irrigation system was put on hold as the course does not require water supply during the winter. However, once the weather warmed up, a lot of irrigation damage was discovered. So, Dill said, course superintendents and staff spent time isolating areas of need, fixing them and playing “whack-a-mole” from there.
“On the positive side, the community is very supportive and excited to have Forest Hills back open and experience some normalcy of playing there,” Diehl said. “They love the new greens and the course is in really good condition now that it’s reopened. We’ve had great feedback from our guests and members and it’s given us a little bit of motivation to continue cleaning up what was a terrible situation. It’s great to hear from members of the community saying they’re glad the place is back open and in good condition.”
With Masters week so important to the club’s annual revenue, Dill said Forest Hills attracts a lot of eyeballs in April, which only adds to the pressure to provide good playing conditions. In addition, it is the home field of the Augusta University golf team, which won back-to-back NCAA Division 1 national championships in 2010 and 2011, and hosted a major college event on the course in April. “
Forest Hills Golf Course has been around a long time, it opened in 1926, predating Augusta National, so it has quite a history. “This golf course has been around a long time and it’s not going away. Not even a devastating hurricane can cripple this great Augusta course for long.”
This is very obvious now.
