Pennsylvania golfers trapped in epic hail storm: ‘I thought you guys were dead’

Luke Vislosky and a group of Pittsburgh-area golfers were out on the course on Thursday afternoon, playing their rounds as normal.

They noticed increased cloud cover, but, Vislosky said, thought the rain was moving to the north. Then, suddenly, an intense storm zeroed in on Quicksilver Golf Club.

Within the blink of an eye, heavy rain, gusting winds and large hail bombarded the area.

With their carts stuck in place, the group first sought shelter under a tree. When that tree started to crack, they made a run for the clubhouse.

“We were just stuck in what felt like a tornado,” Vislosky told WTAE local news. “My golf cart was on two wheels, the wind took the golf cart on its side.”

Storms across the city caused power outages, flooding and storm damage. On the course, trees snapped like twigs, leaving, by Vislosky’s estimate, nearly 30 trees uprooted.

The club workers went looking for the group, as they were the only three players on the course at the time. When they finally arrived back at the clubhouse, one club worker told them: “I thought you guys were dead or hurt.”

“When the storm passed we were like ‘Oh my goodness, I can’t believe we just went through that,’” Vislosky said. “Because it was pretty intense.”

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