Hermitage CC Golf Course Management

 Monday started with some sod prep and dead tree removal around the Club and on Sabot #9. We still have a few more trees to take care of over the next several weeks, including Sabot #2 and #3 and Manakin #2, just to name a few. The team hammered out quite a bit of work before the noon shotgun, so it was a productive start to the week. Fall is definitely in the air! We’ve had a few nights in the 40s this week, and the bermudagrass has noticeably slowed down. In fact, we mowed fairways for the first time this week today as we prepared for the Senior Member-Guest.  Quite a change from the 3-4 mows a week we were on not too long ago. As we transition into fall, we’ve raised the height of cut and reduced mowing frequency to help put the bermudagrass in the best possible position heading into winter. There isn’t much time left for these warm-season grasses to grow and build the strength they need to withstand the traffic that comes with perfect fall golf weather and a busy tee sheet...

 Monday started off the week with the Lunch Pail Monday outing, and it was great to see a lot of smiling faces really amped up about VT football for the first time in a long while. There were people walking around here in VT gear looking like Conor McGregor walking into the ring — that kind of swagger walk. It’s refreshing to see a little swagger returning to Blacksburg...even coming from a Buckeye! Before the outing, we were able to squeeze in a mow, topdress, drag and roll on the Manakin greens. They are still not 100% back from aeration, but they are getting pretty close. We were also able to complete some fall fertilizer tie-ins around the greens on Tuesday. The cool, overcast weather we had during that nor’easter really stunted some growth over the last week. A little sunshine and warmer weather should get some color returning to the bermuda. It has been interesting to see the difference between the two grasses. The Latitude on Manakin really did not like the cool, overcast we...

  It may sound a little early for this, but this week was all about winter prep. It was a busy application week for the crew. Monday started with a bulk spread to get all 100 acres fertilized before a Monday outing. We applied a product with some slow-release nitrogen to provide a steady feed through the remainder of the growing season, a healthy load of potassium to help strengthen the plant and get it ready for its long winter nap, along with some iron to help extend the color a little farther into the fall. These bulk spreads are a fantastic resource for us, especially with all of the Monday outings we have this fall. Being able to get that much product applied quickly allows us to get the work done without tying up the course or the crew for an extended period of time. The crew was also focused heavily on spray applications. We made our regularly scheduled wetting agent and fungicide application to the greens Monday. All of our sprayers were in service, with the rest of the cre...

  Spectacular weather is upon us! For the last six weeks, we have said every week, “Once we get through this week, things will calm down.” And, if history is any indication, we will probably say the same thing for the next eight straight weeks as well. But this week actually felt a little different. The cooler temperatures have arrived, the course is starting to quiet down, and we have finally started removing the rest of the fans. There is something about getting those big fans off the course that makes everything feel a little more peaceful. The course looks cleaner, feels quieter, and for the first time in a while, it actually feels like fall might be on the way. Everyone’s least favorite week — ours included — arrived on Monday as the Manakin greens were aerified and topdressed. It is never easy pulling a core out of greens that are absolutely perfect. After all the work that goes into getting them to this point, intentionally putting holes in them seems a little crazy. But aer...