Some 300 trees were toppled or severely damaged by the March 10 tornado at one golf course in Aroma Township.

That would most likely mean course management at the Kankakee Elks Country Club would be busy ordering and planting a wide variety of trees.

Not so.

“When the course was built, it was a links course,” explained Dennis Deany, an Elks pro shop employee and a longtime course trustee. “Now it’s reverted to a links course.”

Such is the life cycle of a golf course.

A links golf course is the oldest, traditional style of golf, originating in Scotland on sandy coastal land that “links” the sea to fertile land.

This style of golf is characterized by dune-covered terrain, fescue grass, deep bunkers, wind exposure, and, of course, few trees.

Opened in 1926 following the course creation by William B. Langford and Theodore Moreau and then purchased by the Elks organization in 1962, the March tornado has, in effect, brought a portion of the course back to what its first owners envisioned.

Following the March 10 tornado – which devastated a portion of south Kankakee and a large swath of Aroma Township subdivisions – five holes have undergone a major transformation.

Holes 1, 8, 9, 10 and 11 on the par-72, 6,596-yard course sustained the brunt of the damage to the course, and a few buildings were as well either significantly damaged or destroyed.

Faced with the overwhelming task of cleaning up the debris, some 350 volunteers descended onto the course the weekend of March 21 and 22 to lend a helping hand to the community mainstay.

Hundreds more arrived over the following weekends to continue the cleanup and bring playing back to the historic course, Deany said.

Normally opened to the public in early March, golf clubs and golf carts finally replaced chainsaws and dump trucks as the featured course instruments on April 17.

“I love it,” Deany said. “It’s a new shape for the course.”

Scoring will not change

With the loss of hundreds of trees – some were determined to be upwards of 250 years old – pro shop employee Dale Miller said there is no question the course will have to play somewhat easier.

But the scoring on the course will not be lowered to make up for the loss of the trees.

What is lowered, at least thus far this spring, are the number of players swinging their clubs.

Course officials noted the wet weather has to be at least partially responsible, but the 92-acre course situated on a 180-acre plot of land does not have the look people have grown accustomed to seeing.

That will be just a fact of life for years to come, however, as there are no plans to replant the downed trees.

“Nature did its thing and brought it back to the way it was designed,” Deany said.

In the Kankakee County golf landscape, the Kankakee Elks is seated between Oak Springs Golf Course to its south and Shamrock Golf Course to the north.

Shamrock and Oak Springs were spared by the tornado.

100th year for Elks course

The pro shop employees said while the course was damaged, no one was hurt, and many residents suffered extreme loss due to property damage.

“It’s just a golf course,” Miller said. “But if you’re a golfer, the damage is a big deal.”

The course is also working on getting golf carts back in working order. Some 30 carts of the 70-cart fleet sustained significant damages.

Crews have been able to cannibalize enough spare parts from the significantly damaged fleet to thus far get 58 carts back in working condition.

Course management is now waiting for drier, spring weather to return so greater numbers of golfers can experience the new look for the course celebrating its 100th year.

Miller said the course has come a long way since the night of the tornado. He acknowledged it has a long way yet to go.

But like a true golfer, Miller is taking it one shot at a time.

“I’m taking on at least one thing a day. Getting one thing back in order a day is a step in the right direction.”

In golf, that could be considered a score of a par. And even if there a hundreds of fewer trees to maneuver around, a par is still a par.