Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage across the southeastern United States when it made landfall in Florida last September. The deadliest hurricane in the US since Katrina in 2005, it brought 140mph winds and caused an estimated £61.8billion ($78.7bn) worth of damage.
The state of Georgia bore the brunt of that damage. National Hurricane Center reports say falling trees and high winds killed 37 people statewide, while at least 362 buildings were destroyed in Augusta and surrounding counties. Over 6,500 other buildings reported damage ranging from mild to severe.
In the neighbourhoods surrounding Augusta National Golf Club, some residents are still unable to move back into their homes. Thousands in the city were left without electricity and running water in the storm’s aftermath and forced to evacuate to Red Cross relief centres.
Days after Helene ripped through Georgia, Augusta National made a $5m (£3.9m) donation to the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund to support local relief efforts.
The course itself, though, escaped largely unscathed, with the vast majority of the damage being purely cosmetic.
The most noticeable change is in the thick woods for which the course is so well known, where hundreds of trees were pulled down by gusting winds. The isonic bushy foliage which fans had grown used to in previous years has been harshly trimmed, allowing for more sunlight in previously shadowy parts of the course. Some attendees say it feels ‘less claustrophobic’ as a result.
The legendary 16th hole was the only one to suffer direct damage but has been fully repaired. After a practice round in March, Rory McIlroy lauded the groundkeepers’ efforts, saying it was ‘exactly the same’.
He said: "The loss of a few trees is definitely noticeable... they've had to redo [the 16th] green, it's exactly the same as what it was.
“The hole will play - apart from a few less shadows on the green late in the day because of the trees that were lost – pretty much the same."
The Masters is the only major the 35-year-old Northern Irishman is yet to win, though he is tipped to be among the favourites this weekend.
The PGA Tour confirmed that the course’s 7,555-yard length would be unchanged since last year’s tournament in further testament to the Club’s restoration work.
Augusta chairman Fred Ridley said: “I think we had minor damage to the course, the playing surfaces themselves, but we were able to get that back in shape, but I don't think you're going to see any difference in the condition for the Masters this year.”
Now outside of hurricane season, weather is not expected to have much impact on this year’s Masters tournament, though Monday’s practice rounds were suspended after just three hours as a thunderstorm dumped over an inch of rain on the course.
