On the morning of September 27, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region. Unfortunately, this marks the third hurricane to strike the area in the past 13 months, following Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Debby just this past August. Early reports indicate that the damage caused by Helene surpasses the combined destruction left by both Idalia and Debby.
Florida has faced a range of severe impacts from the storm, with each region experiencing varying degrees of damage. The storm made landfall with winds reaching 140 miles per hour and a width of 350 miles. The most significant impact was the storm surge, which inundated the Big Bend region with over 15 feet of water. Even areas outside the storm's path felt its power. Helene’s storm surge shattered records along Florida's west coast. Cedar Key saw water levels rise over 10 feet, Tampa faced a surge of more than 7 feet, and the Fort Myers-Naples area was submerged under 4 to 5 feet of water. Wind was another critical factor, causing lasting damage to structures and trees. Winds along the coast ranged from 50 to 85 miles per hour. Rainfall was less of a concern in Florida than elsewhere in the Southeast, but the hardest-hit areas still received 9 to 15 inches, while regions farther south like Naples averaged less than 4 inches.
Helene’s impact on the Southeast extended far beyond Florida. Wind, rain and flooding affected many parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The Augusta-Aiken area took a direct hit, and the mountains of the Carolinas suffered unprecedented damage from wind and rain. Flooding, landslides, road closures and the overall impact to critical infrastructure make this a much larger issue for golf courses and their staff.
Cleanup and recovery from Helene will be a long and demanding process. When the time is right to start restoring golf courses, here are a few key steps that will help guide the recovery efforts.
- Take care of your family and team first. The golf course will be there when the time comes to fix the damage. Make sure your family and team are well taken care of first. Take care of your people and they will take care of you.
- Assess the damage. A team should evaluate the course for damage, flooding and safety concerns. This includes checking for downed trees or branches, power outages and damage to structures.
- Communicate and take photos. Keep staff informed and discuss when they can safely return to work. Also, communicate with other managers and contractors to prioritize needs. Take photos of any damage before and after the storm to help with insurance claims.
- Contact authorities. Notify local authorities and the club's insurance agent if necessary.
- Create a recovery plan. Develop a plan to help the course recover and return to play as soon as safely possible.
- Track expenses. Track all costs related to the storm, including employee hours, debris removal and any remediation efforts.
- Prioritize safety. Ensure that staff and golfers are not allowed to enter areas that may have downed power lines or any other safety hazards.
- Give staff time off. The road to recovery will be long, so ensure that your staff has plenty of time to rest and take care of their personal needs.
The Green Section staff has been shocked and deeply saddened by the devastation that came from Hurricane Helene. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this storm.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Jordan Booth, Ph.D., senior director, USGA Course Consulting Service – jbooth@usga.org
Chris Hartwiger, director, Agronomy – chartwiger@usga.org
Chris Neff, agronomist – cneff@usga.org
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service
Contact the Green Section Staff
