RTJ Silver Lakes to Reopen for Golf in September 2011
Glencoe, AL – June 16, 2011 - On April 27, an EF-4 tornado hit the Silver Lakes location on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, taking out more than 38,000 trees, destroying some buildings and closing the golf courses temporarily.
“We have more than 70 people working on the courses and I am pleased to announce Silver Lakes will reopen 36 holes of golf in September,” said Dr. David G. Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama. “The goal of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is to improve the quality of life in Alabama and encourage tourists from around the region and around the world to come visit our state. That is exactly what has happened at Silver Lakes. I assure you, Silver Lakes will be coming back better than ever,” said Dr. Bronner. Since opening its gates in 1993, more than 640,000 rounds of golf have been played at the Silver Lakes location which is located between Anniston and Gadsden.
“The destruction of the EF-4 tornado was so massive that we considered closing Silver Lakes,” said Dr. Bronner. “The Retirement Systems Alabama made the decision it could not abandon or walk away from the people of this wonderful part of the state. We look forward to working with the surrounding communities to make Silver Lakes a great success story.”
Roger Rulewich, a protégée to the late Robert Trent Jones, Sr., will be coming to Silver Lakes in the coming weeks to assess the tornado damage and make design adjustments to the courses, according to John Cannon, president of Sunbelt Golf Corporation and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Rulewich worked with Robert Trent Jones, Sr. for many years in designing all of the RTJ Golf Trail courses and was actively involved in creating Silver Lakes. “In the coming months, we will be upgrading all the greens with champion ultra dwarf grass, repairing structural damage caused by the tornado and incorporating Roger’s design recommendations,” said Cannon.
“Since the tornado, we have been able to keep all our staff working and remain committed to this region,” said Cannon. “These employees and the 50 others working every day to bring Silver Lakes back to life are the real heroes in this story. Employees from accounting and food service worked alongside our golf and maintenance staff to clear the courses of debris and preserve much of the original design,” said Cannon. “Perhaps appropriately named for the situation, the Mindbreaker, Heartbreaker and Backbreaker will be back in action by the end of September, along with the short course.”
Jason Callan, director of golf at Silver Lakes, sees the improvements on a daily basis. “In late May, it was virtually impossible to access this area,” said Callan. “While we received millions of dollars in damage, we did not lose one life within our staff, which is remarkable. Our team has pulled together and done a phenomenal job. As a testament to their work, we will be hosting a wedding reception in the clubhouse on Saturday. This event has been scheduled for months and our staff’s hard work will make this possible. While play on our golf courses will return in September, the clubhouse is available for special events.” The RTJ Silver Lakes clubhouse and pro shop will reopen to the public in September.
Updates on the progress at Silver Lakes will be posted online at facebook.com/rtjsilverlakes. Since opening in 1993, the total number of round played at Silver Lakes is 640,492.
“We have more than 70 people working on the courses and I am pleased to announce Silver Lakes will reopen 36 holes of golf in September,” said Dr. David G. Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama. “The goal of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is to improve the quality of life in Alabama and encourage tourists from around the region and around the world to come visit our state. That is exactly what has happened at Silver Lakes. I assure you, Silver Lakes will be coming back better than ever,” said Dr. Bronner. Since opening its gates in 1993, more than 640,000 rounds of golf have been played at the Silver Lakes location which is located between Anniston and Gadsden.
“The destruction of the EF-4 tornado was so massive that we considered closing Silver Lakes,” said Dr. Bronner. “The Retirement Systems Alabama made the decision it could not abandon or walk away from the people of this wonderful part of the state. We look forward to working with the surrounding communities to make Silver Lakes a great success story.”
Roger Rulewich, a protégée to the late Robert Trent Jones, Sr., will be coming to Silver Lakes in the coming weeks to assess the tornado damage and make design adjustments to the courses, according to John Cannon, president of Sunbelt Golf Corporation and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Rulewich worked with Robert Trent Jones, Sr. for many years in designing all of the RTJ Golf Trail courses and was actively involved in creating Silver Lakes. “In the coming months, we will be upgrading all the greens with champion ultra dwarf grass, repairing structural damage caused by the tornado and incorporating Roger’s design recommendations,” said Cannon.
“Since the tornado, we have been able to keep all our staff working and remain committed to this region,” said Cannon. “These employees and the 50 others working every day to bring Silver Lakes back to life are the real heroes in this story. Employees from accounting and food service worked alongside our golf and maintenance staff to clear the courses of debris and preserve much of the original design,” said Cannon. “Perhaps appropriately named for the situation, the Mindbreaker, Heartbreaker and Backbreaker will be back in action by the end of September, along with the short course.”
Jason Callan, director of golf at Silver Lakes, sees the improvements on a daily basis. “In late May, it was virtually impossible to access this area,” said Callan. “While we received millions of dollars in damage, we did not lose one life within our staff, which is remarkable. Our team has pulled together and done a phenomenal job. As a testament to their work, we will be hosting a wedding reception in the clubhouse on Saturday. This event has been scheduled for months and our staff’s hard work will make this possible. While play on our golf courses will return in September, the clubhouse is available for special events.” The RTJ Silver Lakes clubhouse and pro shop will reopen to the public in September.
Updates on the progress at Silver Lakes will be posted online at facebook.com/rtjsilverlakes. Since opening in 1993, the total number of round played at Silver Lakes is 640,492.
