When Hurricane Helene hit the North Carolina Mountains in September 2024, Elk River became a raging mass of destruction. The Category 1 hurricane pummeled Banner Elk and the communities surrounding the Elk River Club with more than 30 inches of rain.
A day later, when General Manager Toni Littleton and her husband Bob were finally able to try and get to the Club from their home, the devastation was unbelievable. “It truly looked like a bomb had gone off,” she said. “We drove under downed trees, beneath and across fallen electrical lines, and skirted the edges of huge sinkholes in the road. The destruction caused by Helene was beyond anything we could have imagined from a hurricane in the mountains.”
They were only able to access the property by driving on the Elk River Club’s private airstrip and crossing the bridge on Hole 1 of the Club’s course, which had made history as the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in the state of North Carolina. “It was hard to tell if there was even a golf course beneath all the mud and debris,” Littleton said. Closer inspection showed Helene’s incredible impact -- destroyed greens, tees, bunkers and cart paths and damage to irrigation, the drainage system, ponds, creeks and stream banks.
The lower level of the clubhouse—where the main kitchen and dining areas are located—had flooded, leaving behind three-to-four feet of mud. All of the kitchen equipment, china, silverware, glassware, and the countless small items necessary to run a restaurant had either washed away or been destroyed by flooding and mud. Furnishings and fixtures were ruined, and food and beverage inventory was lost. Outside, the pickleball courts were wiped out, and the tennis courts and dog park were viciously mangled. Seventeen horses who rode out the storm in the Equestrian Center needed to be cared for.
Once the Club safely evacuated everyone except those who live on the property full-time, Littleton said they began assessing the damage to the clubhouse, the golf course, the roads, and members’ homes. Work on the golf course specifically was spurred by a master plan that had been in place since 2021. “Prior to Helene, we had been working on a golf course drainage project and had planned to complete the final holes beginning in October 2024. But when we realized that approximately 60% of the course had been damaged by Helene, our Board decided it was the right time not only to restore the course but also to implement major improvements we had been developing with Chad Goetz, ASGCA, Senior Design Associate with Nicklaus Design. Once Goetz was onsite and everyone realized the extent of the damage, everyone agreed it would be a big mistake not to do a whole course renovation.”
Within three weeks, meetings proceeded with Goetz, Turf Drainage of Florida, Turf Drainage of America, and Green Tee Course Contractors to complete a comprehensive plan for restoration and improvement. The speed at which they worked to design and implement these repairs was nothing short of remarkable,” Littleton said.
“Before Helene, we had struggled to frame a master plan to properly update a course that had a short, 6-month season without closing the course and losing the whole 2025 season.” At the same time, renovating this legendary Nicklaus course came with a certain expectation that it would be done right. In a way, Hurricane Helene made it possible to forge ahead and complete an update of the course built in 1985.
Now, some 20 months after Helene’s indeterminate strength pummeled the Elk River, the course has emerged triumphant as an essentially brand-new golf course. There is hardly a spot on the course that was not touched by Goetz’s plan, which included relocated tees and moved greens, a set of forward tees throughout the course, reseeded fairways, tees and greens. The hurricane opened up mountain vistas and added length with modern bunkers. Today, the course transformation is complete, and it’s ready to open in May.
“We’ll be eternally grateful for the support of the Elk River Club membership,” Littleton said. “They financially supported the repairs and improvements without hesitation, and more importantly, they were understanding, supportive and encouraging to the Board and the team during a most difficult time. No one ever thought it was too much and we should just let Elk River go. Never.”
Despite all the devastation Elk River experienced, it was small in comparison to the losses suffered by so many throughout the broader mountain community. Goetz, who works on some of the best golf courses around the world, said recurring weather events are always a given. But to have a Cat 1 Hurricane hit the NC Mountains was unheard of. FEMA crews were at his hotel for 14 months helping to rebuild lives.
“At the end of the day, it's just a golf course. Lives were impacted, and the club stepped
up to help the community. What they did in light of this was way more important than rebuilding a golf course.” Goetz said.
The Elk River Airport had more than 600 relief flights within a few weeks of the storm and was the main collection hub for their end of the county. The High-Country Charitable Foundation, spearheaded by Elk River Club members, served more than 6,000 hot meals to volunteers and essential workers and provided financial assistance to local charities to aid in their effort. Elk River Helping Hands, also founded by Elk River Club members, distributed financial assistance to more than 300 individuals—many of whom had lost their livelihoods, their vehicles, their homes, and tragically, in some cases, their loved ones. These are just a few examples of the partnership between Elk River and the local community.