New drone footage shows extent of damage at Augusta National following Hurricane Helene – with one hole ‘wrecked’

The devastating devastation left by Hurricane Helene on Augusta National has been laid bare shocking new drone footage.

The homeland of the Masters was hit late last month by the catastrophic hurricane that tore through the southeastern United States, leaving unfathomable damage for millions of Americans.

The infamous golf course fell victim to 130mph gusts, leaving the normally pristine grounds of the infamous private club in disarray.

Two weeks later – and six months before golf’s biggest names make their way to Magnolia Lane – new images show the iconic undulating fairways still in tatters.

As the drone flies over the legendary Amen Corner, no fewer than five felled trees can be seen lining the course, some even encroaching on the usually immaculate fairways of golf’s most famous course.

Augusta’s par-3 16th is in ruins, with two trees scattered across the rolling green

In other shots, the tee boxes appear to have narrowly escaped demolition after the huge trunks of Augusta’s emblematic pines came crashing down around the spots where the sport’s biggest stars will begin their attempts to slip into the Green Jacket in April.

Meanwhile, in other photos, Augusta’s 16th hole – the legendary home of Tiger Woods’ celebrated 2005 chip-in – lies in ruins.

The Par-3 is said to be ‘destroyed’, with two fallen trees scattered across Redbud’s bunker-lined sloping green and the water catchment at the front of the hole a muddy brown colour.

Following shocking images in the immediate aftermath of Helene previously showing Magnolia Lane in complete disarray with tree trunks blocking the famous entrance to the clubhouse, Augusta announced it was ‘assessing the damage’.

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley later gave a major update on the major tournament, insisting the battle for the Green Jacket would continue.

‘The Masters are held, [and] it will take place on the scheduled dates,” he stressed during a press conference at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan earlier this month.

The Masters will take place from April 10 to 13, when world number 1 Scottie Scheffler will defend his title.

Augusta National closed its annual summer vacation in May and was scheduled to reopen in mid-October.

The tee boxes appear to have narrowly escaped demolition after the iconic pine trees fell

The grounds of Augusta are usually a picture of peace and tranquility (pictured in April 2023)

Ridley confirmed that the infamous Georgia course’s iconic undulating fairways had suffered ‘a lot of damage’.

“We have been without power, water and other essentials for several days,” Ridley said. “So it really impresses you what can happen when a natural disaster like that happens.

“As far as the golf course goes, it was just as affected as the rest of the community… there was a lot of damage and there are a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running.”

Ridley shifted his focus to the broader community after Augusta National announced Thursday that it had donated $5 million to the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund.

“There have been literally dozens of people working at the club, and what I’m really most proud of is that while everyone is certainly focused on getting us up and running again, our staff is so focused on the community as a whole,” Ridley said.

“We’ve been able to take care of our employees, but we’ve also been focused on what the Red Cross and other organizations are doing in Augusta, and our employees have really been a big part of that, which I think really speaks to them and the culture at the club.’

After the devastating storm, rebuilding begins not only at Augusta National, but also for millions of Americans affected by the catastrophe.

Helene’s high winds and flooding killed more than 230 people, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.

The Masters will still go ahead on April 10 and 13, when Scottie Scheffler will defend his title

The Masters is the most popular golf tournament on the calendar, for both players and fans

PGA Tour cult icon John Daly was one of many Americans affected by the catastrophic effects of the hurricane that ripped through the US.

The professional golfer revealed that his home in the Sunshine State, along with other family members’ properties, was completely wiped out by the historic hurricane.

“It’s devastating,” Daly told PGATour.com in early October while attending a PGA Tour Champions event at Timiquana Country Club in Jacksonville.

‘It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I hope everyone gets safe and gets their homes back. My heart just goes out to everyone.”

“We must have lost three, maybe four,” he said of his and his family’s homes.

“I just haven’t even gone back to mine yet,” he added. ‘I restructured and repaired it. I hadn’t been there in two years; I put all the stuff in there and then it’s all gone.’