Columnist image

TSN Senior Reporter

| Archive

If there was a penalty in golf for piling on, the residents of Fort McMurray, Alta., might throw the flag on Mother Nature.

Disaster after disaster keeps getting thrown at the city’s golf operations, yet the players refuse to break.

The latest adversity is massive flooding caused by a 25-kilometre-long ice jam created by the spring melt of the Clearwater and Athabasca rivers, which run on either side of the municipality. The overflow has spilled into the low-lying residential areas, leading to the evacuation of 15,000 residents.

It’s also left the municipality’s two courses under water. In addition, huge blocks of ice were pushed onto the holes, some up to 10 feet high and travelling inwards more than 100 yards, ripping up fairways and greens along the way. The course is now strewn with the floes.

“It’s been crazy, said Kyle Corriveau, the head professional at the Fort McMurray Golf Club, “but this town is pretty resilient.”

Corriveau was among many busy placing sandbags to protect the clubhouse on Saturday as the water level rose.

That would be the new clubhouse, which opened last year after the infamous fires of 2016 destroyed the previous one. Those flames, which scorched 3,000 homes and become one of the most expensive disasters in Canadian history, also burned up the club’s turf equipment, a hundred golf carts, and the maintenance building.

But just as with that tragedy, the members at the golf club have already stepped up with offers to help this time, whether that be with physical labour or financial assistance. Many were helping with the sand bag placement.

“For so many people, this is their happy place,” Corriveau said. “They like to come here and forget about things. It’s crazy how many people have called offering to help.”

Of the three nines at the Fort McMurray club, two may be able to open in a few weeks, although there’s no way of telling exactly what kind of shape it will be in. A third nine is unlikely to see any play before June 1 due to the damage.

The Miskanaw course may not be so lucky. Situated on an island at the confluence of the two rivers, it sat completely under water on the weekend. Its timeline won’t be known until the water recedes.

Floods and fire are just one part of the story for Fort McMurray. As with most other centres in Canada, it’s currently on a lockdown as it deals with the spread of the coronavirus. Only essential services are open at present. That means golf courses must remain closed, except for a limited amount of maintenance

If all this wasn’t enough, the steady slide in the price of oil has hammered the local economy, which is largely driven by the oil sands just north of the city. There were many layoffs before the flood, and this may just add to those totals.

As a sign of just how the tragedies have intertwined, the local food bank was forced to close because of the flooding.

“You feel for everybody right now,” added Corriveau. “But the people here are strong. They’ll get through this.”