Hermitage CC Golf Course Management

 After weeks of watching rain chances disappear from the forecast, we finally got a little glimmer of hope this week with our spring weather woes. Monday the campus received right at 1" of slow, steady rainfall, followed by another 0.2" Wednesday and just a trace today. We’ll gladly take it. This rain was a much needed help for the operation, but we’re still sitting roughly 8" behind for the year. Monday also started with a light topdress on Sabot greens to try and smooth out some of those tiny baby bumps left behind from aeration.   The guys and girls have also been absolutely crushing it on the bunkers lately — they have been looking and playing great!  If you see them out on the course thank them.  Bunkers are not easy! Now that the driving range is finally back on grass — much later than normal because of the cold nighttime temperatures and the bermuda not really growing — it seems like the range has become the single most popular spot on campus. 8am or 6pm… it...

 As we move deeper into May, it continues to feel like spring is teasing us more than actually arriving. The unusually cool and dry conditions we’ve experienced this season have significantly slowed the green-up process of all our bermudagrass surfaces across both courses. While we remain optimistic every time rain appears in the forecast, Mother Nature has continued to leave us wanting more. Over the last two days, forecasts suggested we might finally make a meaningful dent in our now 7+ inch rainfall deficit this spring. Unfortunately, the system only delivered just over one-tenth of an inch of rain. We’ll certainly take every drop we can get, but it is going to require substantially more moisture to truly re-wet our beautiful west Richmond clay soils that have continued drying out for months now. The primary focus for our agronomy teams this week has been moisture management throughout both courses. This time of year, maintaining adequate hydration is critical. Even though tem...

 As we near the end of April, we’ve been dealing with some unusually challenging weather patterns that continue to test this grass-growing thing. First and foremost is the lack of rainfall. We’ve received just ½ inch of rain throughout March and April combined. Historically, the Richmond area averages about 4 inches in March and 3.2 inches in April, putting us at a rainfall deficit of roughly 6 to 6.5 inches to start the growing season. To put that into perspective, this marks the third driest spring planting season (in agricultural terms) since 1875, according to U.S. Farm Report . This extended dry stretch, paired with unseasonably cool nighttime temperatures, has left our Bermudagrass a bit dazed and confused. While the turf is green, it’s simply not actively growing, recovering, or moving the way we would expect this time of year. That creates a real challenge, especially as we enter the spring push of play. Increased rounds are always a good thing, but traffic stress without...

 Last week had us feeling like we were taking two big steps forward across the property. Bermudagrass on both courses was showing encouraging signs of green-up, the Sabot greens were recovering nicely from aeration, and the Range Tee grow-in continued to progress right on schedule. Over on Manakin, greens had fully rebounded from their spring aeration and were delivering the firm, fast conditions we all look forward to this time of year. It was the kind of stretch that reminds us prime golf season is right around the corner. This week, however, served as a bit of a reality check—more of a one step back moment. Early in the week, we experienced unseasonably cold temperatures, including a significant frost. The Bermudagrass that had just started to wake up and push color unfortunately took a hit. Much of that early green-up has been knocked back, and overall growth has slowed as a result. Before After While the turf is certainly off-color in areas, this is not unexpected for this t...

 This week gave us a little taste of summer. Just seven days removed from a frost, both courses are already off and running in the race toward prime golf season. It’s always encouraging to see that kind of turnaround, and the recent stretch of warm weather has really helped jumpstart our progress. Last weekend’s Jr. Valentine event was a huge success, and a great showcase for the club. The Manakin Course was prepared and presented at a high level, with firm, consistent playing conditions that held up well throughout the tournament. The team takes a lot of pride in delivering that kind of environment for competitive play, and it was rewarding to see everything come together for such a well-run event. Looking ahead, next week brings a bit of a curveball with cooler temperatures—potentially flirting with freezing on Tuesday morning. We’re hopeful we can dodge another frost and keep the momentum going with our green-up, which has been steady and encouraging across both courses. Throug...