Springfield's Veteran's Golf Course attempts to recover from Tornado damage

It has been a rough start to the golf season for players here in Western Mass.

The season started three weeks late due to the rough winter, and rain fell 24 of the first 27 days in the month of May.

And adding insult to injury, the Veteran's Golf Course in Sixteen Acres took a direct hit from last weeks tornado.

It took just seconds for Mother Nature to change a half century of local golf history.

Kevin Kennedy is the head golf professional, and general manager of the Veterans and Franconia golf courses.

"It basically came from the 14th tee box, cut all the way across the gold course," said Kennedy. "That right there is the 15th green, the 15th tee,"

"And everything in its patch as you can see there's nothing left, there's nothing standing, nothing unharmed in between."

Kennedy and his staff is now taking stock of the damage at the Veteran's course.

Like many areas in the City of Homes, the half century old Veteran's course sustained heavy damage from the tornado.

Trees on the back nine were destroyed. The front nine was partially damaged.

Maressa Geryk, an assistant PGA Pro was on duty when the warning sirens went off.

"You see the sky and it's kinda scary," Geryk said.

"You're there and it's yellow and you've never see that sky before. But you try to make sure everybody is safe and everybody is taking cover."

"We did a good job as a staff to get everybody off the golf course, and try to have everybody as safe as possible."

The golfers got off the course safely, but the course they left behind has changed forever.

You know, every golf course has it signature hole. At the Vet, it was the Par 5 14th hole.

What made the hole memorable was the towering oak tree that stood in the middle of the fairway.

That 100 year old landmark fell victim to last weeks storm.

"When they built the gold course in 1961-63, somewhere in that range, you would always hear about all the great players that came through the system back then," Kennedy said.

"Franconia, the Vets, a lot of travelers would talk about it. "Hey is that tree still there on 14?"

"I get that a lot. Even when I was in Florida years ago when we were working. They would say, "Hey you're from Veterans, oh they got that tree on 14. It's sad in a way."

While the golf course may have been ravaged by the tornado, the surrounding neighborhood made out fairly well.

But a slight change in the storms path would have destroyed many of the beautiful home in the area.

While the city may have lost one of its golf courses for the time being, Kennedy said he's grateful his neighbors were spared.

"The shocking part to me honestly, is not the golf course," Kennedy said.

"It's that the Cathedral High School area which I'm an alumni of Cathedral.""Like I said, my house in Springfield was destroyed and condemned. Thankfully we weren't living there."

"You walk there and you can never imagine that it happened. Just the pure destruction though there. That's what's shocking to me."

Restoration efforts were well underway when we visited Veterans on Friday.

Kennedy said the goal is to get the front nine open as soon as possible, and then get to work clearing the back nine.

Until then, local golfers can take advantage of the Franconia Golf Course in Forest Park.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/mywideworld/index.ssf/2011/06/springfields_veterans_golf_course_attempts_to_recover_from_tornado_damage.html

madeleine mccann principal limerick what time is it camilla belle rachel mcadams florence nightingale