Augusta National Golf Club may be a sanctuary, but it’s not fully insulated from outside forces.
Newly released video illuminates that point.
The footage, which went viral on social media Thursday, shows floodwaters raging through Amen Corner, transforming the fabled grounds into what looks like a whitewater rafting course.
Initial reports said that the images were captured nearly 10 months ago during Hurricane Helene, which swept up the Southeastern seaboard in September, leaving hundreds of fatalities and widespread devastation in its wake, including considerable damage to Augusta National. But a source close to Augusta National told GOLF.com that the flooding actually occurred earlier this summer, when intense rains hammered the Augusta area.
At the time, the source said, Amen Corner was under construction; off-season upgrades are common at the club, which traditionally closes in May, after the Masters, and doesn’t reopen until the second Monday of October.
Augusta National, which rarely comments publicly on club matters, did not respond to multiple inquiries about the timing of the flood.
In the video (below), which shows water overflowing the banks of Raes Creek and surging from the 12th hole toward the 11th fairway, construction machinery can be seen in the foreground and backdrop, along with swaths of torn-up ground — all signs that work was already underway when the flooding began.
The source told GOLF.com that the footage was shot by a subcontractor, who has since been removed from the job. As spectacular as the images are, the source said, it is unlikely that the flooding caused any serious damage.
“Any impact is really just aesthetic,” the source said. “Nothing they can’t handle.”
The Augusta area is prone to flooding. According to the city’s website, “Augusta has a history of disastrous floods, which led to the construction of the levee in the downtown area. Due to the topography of the city, certain areas are prone to flood-related problems.” Just this past Sunday, heavy rain triggered flash-flood warnings in the Augusta area.
According to a report from local news station WRDW-TV, much of the recent flooding in the area — and particularly along Raes Creek — has been caused by clogged and aging storm drains.
Off-season upgrades, such as this project carried out in the summer of 2015, are common at Augusta National.
Images of nature’s fury impacting Augusta National have been widely publicized before, perhaps most famously during Friday’s third round of the 2023 Masters, when fierce winds toppled multiple trees around the 17th hole, where large crowds were gathered. Though no one was injured, the incident made international news.
A prominent sidebar to the story was how quickly the club responded, cleaning up debris and repairing damaged ground with only minimal interruption to play.
