A Tuesday morning fire at Sankaty Head Golf Club destroyed three buildings that were part of the private Nantucket island club’s caddie camp.
There was one reported injury from the blaze, which firefighters put out after arriving on the fiery scene at the only remaining caddie camp in the country at about 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Residents of the island 24 miles out to sea could see the thick black smoke from the fire for miles, according to Nantucket’s Inquirer and Mirror. The fire began after a local gas distributor filled the camp’s kitchen propane tanks from a tanker truck. As the driver removed the hose, a spark set the tanker on fire, a Sankaty Head staffer who requested anonymity told us Wednesday morning.
The fire quickly spread from the kitchen and mess hall to one of the club’s five residence halls, destroying virtually all the belongings of 24 of the loopers, none of whom was in residence at the time. The truck driver, whom the I&M identified as Mark Phillip, called 911 and alerted the campers immediately after the fire started, said the Sankaty Head spokesperson.
“Luckily, nobody was there and everyone had gotten out,” he said.
Four residence buildings remained intact and members of the private club had donated cots, roll-away beds, towels, toiletries, and clothing to the kids who lost their property in the fire.
Sankaty Head, a links course built in 1923 that sports a working lighthouse, “absolutely” plans to rebuild the buildings that the fire destroyed, according to the employee.
The Sankaty Head Foundation runs the boys’ camp, which is situated between the 11th and 13th fairways of the links-style golf course. Founded in 1930, the camp has outlasted others in the U.S. that have gone the way of persimmon golf clubs as motorized carts came into favor. As part of the foundation, club members raised $5,000 in 1961 to create the camp, according to Nantucket Today.
The eight-week season, which runs from late June through the end of August, costs each of 60 boys some $5 per day for room and board, according to the publication. New caddies may pocket up to $5,000 by carrying members’ bags during the summer, while old hands can make up to $8,000, said Nantucket Today.
As for the private club itself, Golfweek ranked Sankaty Head No. 87 on its 2011 roster of Top 100 classic courses. The club opens its fairways and greens on the eastern end of Nantucket to non-members in May and October.
Want to play Sankaty Head? Read about the laid-back atmosphere at this seaside links venue.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
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