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In the days and weeks after they were forced to evacuate their homes — and their course — due to a devastating wildfire, Tahlon Sweenie, Troy Mills and the rest of the golf professionals at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge have received an outpouring of support from their PGA of Alberta peers.

That comes as no surprise to those who have been through similar circumstances, who still remember the worrying and wondering, who can provide advice on the rebuild and recovery and, above all else, can relate to what is an emotional rollercoaster.

“Having gone through a natural disaster, I called Tahlon and we had a lengthy conversation,” said Glendale Golf and Country Club’s head professional Jeff MacGregor, who was working at Inglewood when it was one of several Calgary-area hangouts to sustain significant damage during a historic flood in 2013. “He’s a good friend of mine and I just told him, ‘If you need anything, I’m there for you. Because I’ve been there.’ ”

Jason Vaughan, too, was keen to lend his support.

Vaughan was head professional at Fort McMurray Golf and Country Club when a wildfire struck that community in 2016. He and team were evacuated for a grand total of 40 days.

“Tahlon posted a picture on Facebook of him, his family and his dog, all in the car, piled in and leaving,” said Vaughan, still based in Fort McMurray but now as director of golf and grounds at Miskanaw. “And so, I sent him a message — ‘Hey buddy, if you need anything, feel free to give me a shout. I’ve been through this same situation.’

“Looking back on it, I know the exact feeling of just grabbing whatever you can grab and getting in a vehicle and not really knowing where you’re going to go. I just sent him a message saying, ‘Hey, if you need anything, Fort McMurray is here for you. We’re here to help. Because we know your situation.’ ”

Jasper residents were recently allowed to return to their hometown, a magical mountain destination that has attracted millions of tourists over the years. Bing Crosby, Marilyn Monroe and a long list of royals have vacationed here — and played golf during their stay.

There has yet to be an update from Fairmont on any potential damage to Stanley Thompson’s iconic design at Jasper Park Lodge. Both the Resort and Golf Course remain closed, with a recent social media posting that stated: “JPL looks forward to welcoming our colleagues and guests back when the time is right.”

“It just brings you right back to where you were and your immediate reaction is, ‘How do I help?’ ” said Bob Paley, executive professional at Kananaskis Country Golf Course, sharing his reaction to the jarring images from Jasper in late July. “It’s not a case of, ‘Somebody helped me, so now I have to help.’ You’re not keeping score. But you just want to be a part of that same community, because you know what it feels like to be supported.”

The sibling stunners at Kananaskis — home to the Mount Kidd and Mount Lorette layouts — were both destroyed by flooding in June 2013. The facility was ultimately closed for nearly five years but now, after an extensive rebuild, is one of Canada’s great golf comeback stories.

“It’s critical having that network of people that is there to support you, and PGA professionals are a significant part of that posse or that village that I had and anybody in that kind of situation has,” Paley said. “You sort of feel like you’re in the middle of a tornado and they just turn the fans off and just bring some calmness and some perspective that you didn’t have, and maybe even just a pump-up. It’s almost like having siblings. It just felt like I was a part of something, something bigger than I was helping to take care of me.

“I’d just lost my dad the week before the flood and so people were aware of that, as well. People were just genuinely showing care. It wasn’t just, ‘If you need something, let me know.’ People were calling, coming out when it was safe to do so. It was, ‘What do you need? How can we help? Do you have any team members that need work?’ It was incredible.”

Blair McDowell experienced the same after a fire levelled the clubhouse at Northern Bear in mid-January of this year.

Even in the midst of their off-season, his counterparts were filling his voicemail and e-mail inbox.

“I had so many people — golf professionals, general managers, those involved with the PGA of Alberta — reach out to me,” said McDowell, the executive pro at Northern Bear. “It sure felt like a brotherhood. People were trying to lend a helping hand anywhere they could. Anything we needed, if they could, they would like to provide. That was really nice.”

That part isn’t about to change, either.

Whether Sweenie and Mills are looking for temporary jobs for their staff or tee-times for their members, they have a lot of friends that they can lean on.

“I’ll never forget a lot of the golf professionals that helped me out when times were tough,” said MacGregor, recalling that neighbouring superintendents also offered to loan maintenance equipment, helping Inglewood to reopen nine holes about a month after the flood.

Added Vaughan: “There were times when it pulled on the heart strings, just the extra mile that people would go.”

“That’s how it works within our Association, because there are so many damn good people that are looking out for each other,” Paley reasoned. “It’s like that warm, comfortable blanket of support that helps you through these times when you need it. It’s nice to be able to be that blanket. But it’s also nice, when you need that blanket, to have that.”

Alberta’s golf fans have also stepped up and done their part, too. The Rogers Charity Classic, the annual PGA Tour Champions stop at Canyon Meadows, directed $250,000 to Canadian Red Cross Alberta Wildfires Appeal, with that donation coming from ticket proceeds.

But what all of these pros stressed is that the need for help remains long after the flames are extinguished, or the floodwaters recede.

“The initial shock is something, but the rebuild is what I think of,” Vaughan said. “That’s where the support from other people definitely comes in handy to keep you pushing and loving what you’re doing.”

The team at Jaspar Park Lodge can be sure, their family at the PGA of Alberta are there to support them for the long run.