Community shocked after fire at Juday Creek golf course

GRANGER, Ind. (WNDU) – The Juday Greek Golf Course is nothing short of a local landmark. The course is popular for golf itself, but also as a venue for large neighborhood events.

But the sights and sounds on the square on Monday morning were not the usual ones.

“I woke up to fire trucks and ambulances driving down our street, and we walked here,” said Devlin, who lives a block from the course. “And at first we just saw smoke, and we didn’t know it was going to get this big.”

The inferno at the golf course’s clubhouse is having a significant impact on the surrounding community. Neighbors like Craig Scheu, who has lived and worked on the golf course for 34 years, can’t believe what happened Monday morning.

“It’s kind of devastating,” Craig said. “You just don’t get the feeling that something like this is going to happen. You see it on TV, but you don’t think it’s going to happen to you. But it happens.”

And for his wife Susie, the loss was a very personal one.

“I was in tears,” Susie said. “I couldn’t believe it. It was like watching something you love die.”

And whether people have lived in the neighborhood for 30 years or just eight months, the feeling is the same: people are devastated by the loss.

“We really fell in love with the neighborhood because of the golf course,” said Anne Johnson, who lives right behind the course. “We have a beautiful view of it. I haven’t lived here long, but it was devastating to see this.”

The owners of the Juday Greek Golf Course say they plan to rebuild in the future.

But a temporary headquarters will soon be set up where guests can continue to play golf.

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