The Great (Golf) State Of Vermont Is Back!

Tom Mackin files an update on the Vermont courses hit so hard by Irene last year and the resurrection of several is pretty stunning considering how dire the initial images were.

Hurricane Irene was the worst storm to hit the state in more than eight decades, causing six deaths, destroying countless homes and severely damaging bridges and roads. Total cost of the damages statewide has been estimated at between $700 million and $1 billion, according to Betsy Ide, executive director of the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.

Virtually every golf course in the state was affected as well, according to Dave Pfannestein, executive director of the Vermont State Golf Association, which has 65 member courses. "There was a big impact on any tourist-related business after the storm," he said, noting that September and October are the peak months for both golf and the state's famed foliage season. "People saw pictures of the damaged roads and stayed away until wintertime. It was really a big hurt. The munis lost green fee traffic while private clubs lost their second-home business."

A year later, the scars left by Hurricane Irene are still visible. "When you drive around there are still houses off their foundations and others condemned," Pfannestein said. "Some stuff has been cleaned up, but other stuff is still sitting there like it was that day. But most of the courses are pretty much back to normal this year."

A slideshow of before and after shots by F.X. Flinn and Ken Lacasse accompanies the story and it makes for some stunning viewing.