A call out to other GCAer's in So Cal (Fires)

[David Stamm]

I just wanted to see if other GCAer's are okay during this very difficult time in our neck of the woods. TN, Baller, Spaulds, Simps, Lou, Pete L, GS and anybody else I might've missed, (sorry, I'm writing this in great haste as I just returned to my home and found it intact) please stay safe. It's awful dangerous out there. If anybody is in need of anything, please let me know. There are alot of people out here that have lost everything they have.

[Scott Weersing]

Dear David:

There is lots of smoke in the air but that hasn't kept people away. I was singed on the edges from a fire last December but everything is back in place. The warm air has made things fast and firm. I even have a bounce around the edges. The wind down the canyon is blowing away the grass clippings and making things really interesting.

Your friend,

Rustic Canyon

[Patrick Kiser]

I hear Barona might get away with it.  Came close but didn't hit the course.

Good news if true.

[Pete_Pittock]

Lake Arrowhead CC may have taken a direct hit. Many homes destroyed nearby.

[John_Conley]

Wow, I just saw pictures of the fires in Poway on Yahoo!  I played golf a year ago at Maderas and liked it.  There are some awfully impressive homes in that area.  Must be nearby.

It was 4 years ago Florida had hurricane after hurricane.  Natural disasters are no fun.  My heart goes out to ya'.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all.  May you be spared of fire damage and also be spared the indignity of any posters here trivializing what's going on now.

[David Stamm]

Thanks John. I'm typing this while keeping a weary eye to the south, the areas being affected as of right now. The fires are heading into Rancho Santa Fe. I live at the top of a mountain so I have a pretty good vanatge point. Last night my family and I were allowed to return to our home, but not many in our neighborhood have come back since being evacuated. I was woken at 2am by a police officer on his bull horn coming down our street telling us we had to evacuate immediately. My wife and I got ourselves and our little girl dressed and barely had time to grab anything. You could see the orange glow on the ridge above us. Very fortunately for us, the fire went around the mountain and headed SW. The smell of smoke dominates the entire county and ash is falling like snow from time to time. They are saying that close to 500,000 have been evacuated in the county. It's a long way from being out and they think that the only thing that will accomplish this would be all of the fires (there are 8 seperate ones) stopping at the ocean line. I don't know if many outisde of the city know any of what I'm telling you, but the entire city has been brought to a stand still.


  It's a very trivial thing to mention, but many courses acted as a sort of fire break for firefighters throughout the county. The Bridges at RSF is I'm sure singed as well as The Crosby. The fire is heading at this very second towards Barona. Needless to say, the Nationwide tourney is I'm sure is cancelled here. Pala Mesa from what I hear is badly burned. If the fire continues on it's course in RSF, RSFGC would be in danger. But all of this doesn't really matter. There are alot of people without homes tonight and walked out of said homes with the clothes on their backs. I'll post more when I hear more..........

[Pete Lavallee]

David,

Glad to hear you and your family are safe. Although it is surely tragic for one to loose all their personal possesions it's times like this that reinforce what is really valueable in life.

I suspect it is quite difficult to burn down a golf course, especially when they turn on the irrigation. They can act as an excellent fire break too. Barona came through the Cedar fire and I suspect will manage through this one too. It would be a shame to loose the Nationwide Championship. I hear the Chargers are contemplating moving their Sunday game to Texas.

My wife and I are still on our cross country oddessy, we are at Ballyneal right now; seemingly a million miles away from the inferno. Keep us posted.

[Robert_Ball]

David,

I was thinking of you yesterday morning as I flew into OC airport...Glad to hear that you're safe.  Flying in over the fires really gives one a sense of their scale.  Even in areas not hit by fires, you could see debris and dust being whipped up by the high winds.  Hopefully, it will calm down today.

They're not allowing traffic east of my office which is 3-4 miles from the Santiago Cyn fire.

Robert

[Brian Noser]

All out there stay safe I wish you the best. I was out there 3 years ago, and I am now hearing there is fires close to Stevenson Ranch around where I lived, and it was scary back then as we lived near there and were coverd in ash and smoke as well. Simper should be ok he is in west la area I am sure he can see the smoke from Malibu though...

[Bob_Huntley]

David,

My younger daughter evacuated her place in Malibu and went up to Santa Barbara.  A little over ten years ago my older daughter lost her house, belongings and dog when a wild fire swept over Plettenberg Bay in South Afica. In that fire, ten people died out of quite a  small community.

Best wishes to all of you in the Southland.


Bob

[Jon Spaulding]

DS; these fires sure suck on a number of levels . Hope your family and your home make it thru OK.

RB; you either have a really talented, or a really crazy pilot to land in OC yesterday. I drove out to work early AM and it was nerve-racking on the ground. I never seen such thick cover at ground level in my life, non-fog variety anyway.

[Tom Huckaby]

My brother lives in Carlsbad and is living in fear for his house, though things look safe for him now - he's actually hosting evacuees:  his best friend who lives in RSF and was evacuated; no word yet on the fate of his house.  Meanwhile the fires raging near Lake Arrowhead are threatening my parents' cabin, again....

So this does all hit rather close to home for me.

All you GCAers down there, godspeed and good luck.  If you get any news please do let us know.

TH

[Mike Benham]

For the life of a college student, my son reports from SDSU that the campus is closed again today.

I have friends near Scripps Ranch who barely escaped the last fire 4 years ago ... this one is too close to them also ...

[Tom Huckaby]

Mike - on a similar note, my brother's 12 year old son is STOKED about the whole thing:  no school today.  His 15 year old daughter is an emotional wreck.

Does life ever get better than that of a happy 12 year old boy?

TH

[Jeff_Stettner]

When I was 15, a similar fire swept through the Oakland hills. It stopped 1/8th of a mile from the house I grew up in. Santa Ana winds are cruel.

The day after the fire we housed a makeshift shelter at our house where people could watch a video that was taken by a police officer to find out if their home was still there. Thousands (literally) came to the house over the next 48 hours. I have never heard so many cries -- cries of sorrow and cries of joy.

Best wishes to all.

[Matt_Cohn]

map.sdsu.edu

[Matt_Cohn]

"A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter lands in the TPC Valencia golf course in Valencia, CA to refill before dropping another load of water on area wildfires on October 22." (Photo and caption submitted by Marc S. Hedish)

news.yahoo.com

[Joe Bausch]

Just read at espn.com that Mickelson has evacuated his house:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3075994&

I was going to school at Southern Cal in 1985 when a bunch of houses burned down from wind swept fires that spread from roof to roof.  I forget exactly the name of the neighborhood as I haven't lived in SoCal since 1991, but it was along my ride to LAX on surface streets.  It was very scary, so I can imagine these fires on such a larger scale are just frightening.

Edit:  now I remember, the Baldwin Hills neighborhood.

[rjsimper]

Things are okay with me - watching it all unfold and occasionally checking the amount of brown smoke in the air wafting by my office - my mother's house in Vista is, so far, safe.  No word on my Uncle in Fallbrook yet, though...crossing my fingers.

Pala Mesa, from what I hear, lost their restaurant at a minimum - condos near it burned and some trailers in the trailer park adjacent to the 5th hole (or is it the 14th...) have apparently burned.  Not sure on the course itself or the golf shop.

Crazy, though - by far the worst I've ever seen of the wildfires.

[James Bennett]

I suspect it is quite difficult to burn down a golf course, especially when they turn on the irrigation. They can act as an excellent fire break too.

Pete

depending on the fire intensity, some tree types can 'explode' ahead of the fire front.  Typically pines, not eucalypts (I think).

Often, the electricity is intentionally cut off in bushfire conditions in extreme country (potential fire start on extreme hot, windy days).  And localised power outages are likely from fire damage to the distribution system's poles and wires.  If you want to irrigate the course on such a day, you better have a 40kW generator on stand-by.

James B

[Matt_Cohn]

Maderas might be in trouble. I just saw a couple pictures of burnt homes less than 1/4 directly east of the Maderas clubhouse.

[Robert_Ball]

Here's a map showing affected areas including courses:

http://tinyurl.com/2lh8s5

[David Stamm]

Thank you all for the kind words and good wishes. All appears okay for the time being while here at my home. The extreme winds have subsided for the time being and air support was able to be used today to great effect. While this is far from over, the conditions have improved to carry out the fight for the firefighters.


   While I haven't confirmed damages, this is what I've heard about courses. I think Pala Mesa was pretty bad. Fire completely surrounded it. The Crosby was surrounded as well. Last time I checked, the fires were getting real close to RSFGC, but I don't know if it was damaged. I know the fires got close to Pauma Valley, but not alot is known. I'm not sure if Barona has been reached yet, but fires were on a direct path for it. I'm quite sure the tourney has been postponed or cancelled. The Auld course and Eastlake to the south were very close to the fire lines in South county, but The Auld was closer and may have suffered damages. When I find more, I'll pass it along. I feel kind of silly talking about courses being damaged amongst all this, but there you have it. Again, thanks to everyone.

[Brock Peyer]

Our drought in Georgia doesn't seem so bad.  We'll keep you guys in our prayers.

[Roger Tufts]

Here's a map showing affected areas including courses:

http://tinyurl.com/2lh8s5

From that map it looks like Pala Mesa GC is in real trouble, and from the sounds of other posts about it, doesn't look good.

Best of luck to you all, i can't remember it being this bad...