Out of the ashes

The destructive wildfires that swept through San Diego in October burned hundreds of square miles of homes, trees and plants. In its path were several golf courses, although the courses were, in large part, spared. In some cases, the green spaces acted as barriers and slowed down the fires.

But the courses didn't come out completely unscathed, as the following three golf course superintendents can attest. Each superintendent recounts the toll the fires took on their courses and how they responded when disaster struck.

Firefighters for a day Dave Buckles isn't a firefighter, but when faced with the opportunity to help, he picks up a hose - at least, he did on Oct. 22.

Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook, Calif., lost its maintenance building and all its equipment in the recent San Dieo wildfires.

The course superintendent at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in northern San Diego literally faced a firestorm as the Santa Ana winds brought the wildfires to his door. Buckles and his crew jumped in to help save several houses around the course.

When Buckles first assessed the threat of the fire hitting the course that morning, the fire was three-quarters of a mile away in the brush, heading for the homes that separated the brush from the golf course. He then noticed a yard on fire at a house off the sixth green

Click on Link to see article in full Out of the ashes By Heather Wood