STORM WATCH

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No tee times: 35-acre wildfire shuts down Lakewood Country Club

New 12’s Jim Murdoch reports that while the course remained closed today, Maggie's, the onsite restaurant, remains open.

Jim Murdoch

Nov 19, 2024, 6:33 PM

Updated 15 days ago

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On a day when the Lakewood Country Club golf course would be packed with golfers, the parking lot remains empty.
Smoke and the nearby fire forced management to cancel all tee times on Tuesday.
Ted Misa, facilities general manager at Lakewood Country Club, says they first saw smoke just before 1 p.m. Monday. When first responders arrived, around 25 golfers had to end their games. Maggie’s Restaurant remained open, but the loss of players hurt business.
On Tuesday morning, Misa said the back nine holes were completely hidden by lingering smoke, forcing the club to cancel.
“Today was not going to be a good day for opening…11, 12 and 13th holes totally smoked out so we just knew we couldn't open the course and with the tee sheet full, we lost a lot of business today,” said Misa.
Maggie’s Restaurant was open for business Tuesday but was slow due to the closure at the adjacent greens.
"The golfers come in, we have the cart girls on the cart, we have the shack open for the golfers but nothing, two beautiful days we are going to lose," said Samantha Shor, manager of Maggie's Restaurant.
By noon, the heavy smoke this morning dissipated into a haze over some of the fairways, as those running the Lakewood Country Club extended their gratitude towards all who helped save the course, nearby homes and the restaurant.
"The first responders are something else. They were here at no time at all and acted accordingly," said Misa.
"Yesterday, Raef, the owner, brought over pizza and water to all the first responders to show our gratitude for what they did and how quick they were here," said Shor.
The management expects to have a full day of operations on Wednesday because the fire no longer poses an immediate threat to the facility.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.