By Stan Olenik. Editor-Publisher

Golfers and non golfers have made Christmas at the Rumbling Bald Resort on Lake Lure a holiday tradition.

As Hurricane Helene blew through and blew down parts of nearby Chimney Rock and the lake many wondered if the courses and amenities at the Resort would recover in time for the holidays.

There was no question the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area was hard hit by Hurricane Helene. However, the downpour of misinformation about the conditions in the area was almost worse than the storm creating doubt about the holiday season.

“People are assuming everything is gone,”said Mark Eades, the Marketing Director at the Rumbling Bald Resort. “It does not help when on line sources are saying stay away from western North Carolina,’ he noted.

As a former Floridian, Eades had experienced hurricanes in the 4 and 5 categories and still was amazed by the power of Helene all the way up into North Carolina.

“We were fortunate to avoid the worst of the devastation that the south end of the lake will be facing for months, if not years, to come. It’s hard to wrap your head around the scale of it all,” he said.

Massive aid was being sent to the area as quickly as possible, but any delay became a political pawn in an election year.

“Business that were not impacted by the storm reopened and are begging for business to keep their staffs employed,” said Eades.

The damage to the Rumbling Bald and Apple Valley courses came mostly from high water and downed trees.

“We managed to clean up within the first week or so. The biggest impact for us was the loss of power, sewer, and other utilities,” he said.

It took a little longer to fix those problems, but the resort opened back up in late October and continues to operate almost as it did before the storm.

The area around the lake and Chimney Rock are still working to recover.

“We appreciate the incredible efforts of our neighbors in their recovery, and we encourage visitors to be mindful as they travel through these area” Eades said.

It was a formidable task to clear the trees from the courses, but all things considered the clean up was done quickly,

The Resort has been a favorite destination for a Holiday get-a-way and with operations nearly back to normal Rumbling Bald is again offering some of its traditional holiday events.

Resorts guests can enjoy a wreath making class, Christmas music bingo, breakfast with Santa and plenty of caroling.

Golfers can sign up for a Tough Day tournament on December 28th and celebrate New Years a few days later.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare the property, and we’re thrilled to invite members and guests back to enjoy the beauty and festivities of the season,” said Scott Martin, Assistant General Manager at Rumbling Bald. “There is so much beautiful scenery this time of year. The golf courses are in excellent shape, and our Spa services are more popular than ever.”

Usually this is the time of the year when groups and families are making plans for spring and summer trips and Eades wants to make sure visitors know the Resort is ready to take reservations.

“Besides golf vacations we are looking forward to hosting group events like weddings, corporate retreats and reunions. Our dedicated grounds crew has everything back in shape. We’re ready to welcome you for the holidays and for an incredible golf season,” added Eades.

For more information, please contact groupsales@rumblingbald.com or call 828.694.3072 to speak with the reservation Associates.