MISSOULA — Small businesses like Linda Vista Golf Course are still in the process of recovering from the damage following the July 24, 2024, windstorm that hit the Missoula area.
Watch to learn how the windstorm is still impacting a popular Missoula gold course one year later:
“I first got the call and came, and they said we got a disaster out here,” Linda Vista Superintendent John Shmautz told MTN.
In just minutes, 80 miles per hour winds swept through the grounds, uprooting over 80 mature trees.
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As a long-time resident, Shmautz said the storm was a first of its kind to hit Western Montana.
“Missoula hasn’t really seen any storm to my knowledge like this,” Shmautz says, “You're driving out, you see a couple trees here there, but you don't really realize what the devastation it was.”
Dozens of trees that once shaded the course were now toppled over and with only a few hands on deck, employees worked tirelessly to clear the grounds, moving logs as tall as 30 feet.
While crews focused on restoring power and clearing the streets, small businesses like Linda Vista were on their own, purchasing resources out of pocket to manage.
“As a small business here, it took a toll on us,” Shmautz said.
Leaving the business closed for under a week meant no revenue.
Linda Vista employees tried to burn most of the debris, but some trees weren't ready and with fire burning restrictions in place, the restoration process will take a few more years.
Watch previous coverage: Missoula golf courses recovering after big storm
“There’s still a lot of clean-up to do, we’ll still be cleaning up for the next year,” Shmautz said.
Thanks to the help of the dedicated grounds crew, the greens, fairways, and tee boxes are set for golfers to keep working on their game, even though there are cleanup efforts still going on.
“We've done and continue to do a lot of clean up,” Shmautz says, “and we just want to continue to make this enjoyable, fun place and good conditions for everybody to come out and play golf."
This golf course is just one of many areas that were hit hard during last year’s storm, and the cleanup process has been a community-wide effort.
