The course and restaurant are temporarily closed due to effects of Hurricane Helene.
Read on for details as we have them.

Hurricane Helene Updates

October 28th, 2024- One Month Post Hurricane

One month after this devastating event, we are still assessing much of the damage caused by the roaring winds and record rainfall of Hurricane Helene. In the week of September 23-26, Burnsville received an initial 12″ of rain, saturating the ground and filling rivers and streams. On September 27th when Hurricane Helene deposited another 31.33″ of rain in under 24 hours, the river which has long been a source of peace and happiness for our lovely valley rose with a viciousness for which none of us was prepared. More than 40 trillion gallons of water were dumped.

Some statistics to give perspective to the amount of water Western North Carolina received:

• Enough water to
  • Fill the Dallas Cowboy’s stadium 51,000 times
  • Fill 60 million Olympic-sized swimming pools (one pool is 660,000 gallons)
  • Flow over Niagara Falls for 619 days (748,000 gallons of water per second)
  • Cover the entire state of North Carolina in 3.5′ of water

For our community, this resulted in landslides, the loss of homes and businesses, and far worse, the loss of friends and family. The way the nation has come together to support Western North Carolina in this disaster will never be forgotten.

Our initial responses were focused on our community and our team. Each response we receive from each member, neighbor and team member allowed us to breathe a little easier. We established an emergency resource point for those in need at our clubhouse and provided a StarLink for those without service or internet to get in touch with friends and family. Now that the immediate concerns for safety have stabilized, we can begin to focus on the land.

We won’t pretend this is pretty. Many of our bridges were bent or displaced. Fairways resemble riverbeds covered in smooth river rock. Greens have branches, tree trunks, gouges and holes. Our retention pond for the irrigation system will require immediate attention, and much of the irrigation system itself will need serious work. After these most pressing issues are solved, we can begin work on the remainder of the course.

Exactly what our master timeline will look like is unclear. We’re working to gather quotes and individual timelines for restoration as we speak. We appreciate each and every person who has reached out to check on us and ask what they can do. For the time being, we are without revenue, which is devastating to any small business. We will continue to operate as an emergency hub for our community members, and donations towards this are appreciated. We would also like to direct attention to Ryan Wiebe, our beloved maintenance manager who lost his home and four family members in this tragedy. We encourage donations to be made to his family as they grieve and recover from the unimaginable.

We will continue to update as we have more information but for now, we thank you all for being such a wonderful community and for all those, near and far, who have pitched in to take care of our residents. To everyone who purchased items off our Amazon registry, thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.

The course and restaurant will remain closed until we can better assess the full extent of the damage and create a plan. We hope to reopen as soon as possible, and can’t wait to see everyone back when things are safe.


From all of us here at Mount Mitchell Golf Club, thank you for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
The MMGC Ownership Team

Hawtree’s Pub is named for our designer, Fred W. Hawtree. Fred is son of the founder of the Hawtree and Son firm, Fred G. Hawtree, and father of the current figurehead, Matin Hawtree. Hawtree and Son is the longest continuously operating golf course architecture firm in the world. We invite you all in to enjoy the best seat on the course. Enjoy a delicious meal and raise a glass with friends and family to honor the legacy of this great family and the families who have resided on this mountain for generations.

Come on in and sit a while, we’ll have a friendly face and a cold beverage waiting for you.

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MOUNT MITCHELL MONDAYS

Mount Mitchell Mondays are complete for the 2024 season. Check back for 2025 updates.