Mother Nature can be cruel. Just ask the Bradley family who owns Ironwood Golf Course located in Byron Township, Mich. In a span of five minutes on Saturday afternoon, an EF-1 tornado ripped through the property leaving behind a path of destruction.
As the skies cleared after Saturday’s powerful storm, the ruin at Ironwood Golf Course southwest of Grand Rapids became apparent: trees that had stood for decades were destroyed and debris littered every fairway.
“Total devastation,” owner Joy Bradley said.
The family-owned golf course in Byron Township was forced to close for a week in 1998 to clean up damage caused by straight-line winds. This time, owners told 24 Hour News 8, the damage is “probably 10 times worse than that.”
“When we pulled up, I could see kind of the swath down through here and the willow tree behind us — which has kind of been a staple tree that’s been there for 40 years — toppled over,” Bradley’s daughter, Kim Davidson, said. “I just lost it. I was bawling.”
“You have to look at what really matters — that no one was hurt, buildings are good, and that’s what really matters,” Bradley said.
The massive cleanup effort is a reminder of an inescapable fact, mother and daughter said: “Mother Nature … she rules.”
Devastating storm damage at the Ironwood Golf Course in Byron Center. The course is closed indefinitely. @WOODTV pic.twitter.com/9aQ2j3aRLA
— Evan Dean (@_EvanDean) August 21, 2016
Nobody likes to see something like this. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s out of your hands. We wish Ironwood Golf Course a speedy recovery.
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