Overnight on June 1 a devastating fire all but gutted the entire wooden structure of the Western Golf & Country Club clubhouse in Redford Township – the planned site of the Michigan Women’s Amateur in mid-August.
Club leaders and the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) say the tournament will go on. As one sign of that expectation, club members were playing golf on the course the same weekend as the fire.
In late June the walls of the more than 90-year-old building with several ‘wings’ were still mostly standing but the roofs were gone or caved in. The four-alarm fire resulted in a total loss.
Temporary structures are going up and will accommodate the tournament and other club functions as needed. Retiring executive director of GAM, David Graham, said he had full confidence the club was going to be ready to host the Women’s Amateur.
The pro shop and other buildings near the first tee across the street were not affected at all by the fire.
