Gerald Knight has a tendency to sleep a lot. Marci Knight is a heavy sleeper. She wakes up often, fearing that one of their two children could be in trouble. Marci was alerted to a loud noise on December 22. She was worried that one of the couple’s two children might be in trouble.
She noticed instead a red glow. This was not a good sign, since the couple lived across from their Dream Valley Golf Course in a remote part of Springfield.
Gerald, a Wednesday Golfweek reporter, said: “Next thing I knew, she was screaming at me to get up.” The cart barn was on fire. We believe the noise she heard is part of the roof collapsing. We didn’t have a clue what to do when we called 911.
It was hard to look at.
Knight has not yet been able to determine the exact cost of damage, as representatives from insurance companies are on holiday for Christmas. The fire destroyed more than 50 carts, along with everything else at the course’s maintenance facility. After the fire was finally put out, tables, chairs and even fishing rods were all scorched.
The cart barn at Dream Valley Golf Course, located in Buffalo, Missouri caught fire during the night on Dec. 22. (Photo by Marci Knight/Dream Valley).
The couple bought the 18-hole golf course in April 2019 along with another couple Ryan and Dara (no relation).
Gerald Knight stated that business was good ever since the ownership group took over. This is despite the fact that the prices are still well below the average national price for most public golf courses. Weekday rates start at $13 for 18 holes and a year-long membership that includes unlimited golf with cart costs only $1,100.
Knight stated, “We are a rural course.” We need to keep the price affordable for the people.
The group was excited about the holiday weekend, as the temperatures were just right to allow golfers out to play. Cart distributors in the area rushed to provide replacement carts, so that the course could stay open over the holiday weekend. The fire also destroyed a brand new pro shop that was just in the framing stages of construction.
The cart barn at Dream Valley Golf Course, located in Buffalo Missouri, caught fire during the night on December 22. (Photo by Marci Knight/Dream Valley).
Knight says that despite the fact that the fire was a major setback, he is grateful things didn’t get worse.
He said: “Hopefully the insurance will be settled and that we can get back to our normal lives.” “We were behind in the pro shop, and that may have been a blessing. Our construction crews will be starting work very soon to remove the walls.
But if it wasn’t for the heavy south winds, our house could have been in flames very quickly. The amount of games we’ve seen has been excellent since we took control. It’s all been positive. This is our first major setback .”
