While there are no statistics citing how many first responders play golf, firefighters in hundreds of departments, organizations and charity events across the nation often flock to the course. With flexible 24-hour work schedules, they can play more often than almost anyone. Some even fashion their own work area at stations to make golf clubs. Hoping for uneventful shifts as they report for duty between 7 and 8 a.m., they’re also preparing for the worst, confirming everything is in working order: trucks with proper fuel and water levels, safety equipment, hoses, medical supplies, personal gear and more. They must be ready at a moment’s notice.
One of those moments came on Feb. 17, 2022, on what dawned as a foggy and mild Michigan winter morning. Little did the golfing members of one Detroit area fire department know they were about to make golf history … by saving golf history.
Looking forward to a day off after a rough week, Oakland County’s Bloomfield Township fire chief John LeRoy normally hears alerts coming in 24/7. The one from 3951 Maple Road was especially troubling when the kitchen staff in the clubhouse at the legendary Oakland Hills Country Club smelled smoke. At 9:17 a.m.—which sounds more like a tee time—the first call rang in and as the radio calls intensified, the chief rushed to the scene…