Hermitage CC Golf Course Management

 This is the kind of week we were hoping to avoid. Nearly 4 inches of rain , followed immediately by hot, extremely humid weather , creates one of the most challenging combinations we face all year. These are the conditions that can quickly lead to bentgrass decline here in the Transition Zone. Thankfully, we've made it to August. The days are beginning to get a little shorter, and while the heat certainly isn't behind us yet, cooler nights and more moderate temperatures are finally starting to appear on the horizon. One thing is certain—we're glad these conditions didn't arrive in the middle of July. This week also serves as a reminder of just how valuable our fans are. They may require plenty of maintenance and occasionally cause a few headaches, but when weather like this rolls in, every bit of air movement matters. Keeping the leaf surface dry and temperatures lower is one of the best tools we have to maintain healthy bentgrass and keep the greens in top condition a...

It's not always fun and games working at Hermitage! Our very own Brent Graham found that out the hard way after getting stung by more than a few yellow jackets while exploring the native area on 18 Sabot.  The good news? He'll live to see another day, no worries there! The bad news? His left eye is swollen about halfway shut this evening. Grant will be taking the helm of this week's blog. This week got off to a productive start with a light dusting of our kiln-dried topdressing sand, followed closely by a application of systemic fungicides, wetting agents, and a fertility package. After a few minutes of irrigation on each green to water everything in, it was on to the next one. By 11AM, all 39 greens had been completed, and just in time for our Employee Appreciation Day festivities to kick off. It was a great way to wrap up a busy and productive morning while taking a moment to recognize the hard work of our outstanding team. Both the Manakin and Sabot maintenance teams hav...

 Well...I think we're all happy to be done with this week. Bermudagrass aeration, verticutting, and topdressing is always a major undertaking, but it's an even bigger ordeal on Manakin. Compared to most courses in our area, Manakin has roughly twice the amount of short-cut bermudagrass. While that makes for a lot of fun and great playing conditions, it also means a tremendous amount of labor goes into maintaining those surfaces—especially this time of year when we're focused on the cultural practices that keep them healthy and performing at a high level. Monday started with some dead tree removal on both courses. Ben handled the tree crew, and honestly, I don't think I've ever seen one person get so giddy over a new chainsaw. This new fuel-injected Stihl 500i is literally his new baby. It will be a great addition to our fleet and help replace some of our aging saws that have seen more than their fair share of tree work over the years. Nearly all of our tree removal ...

  Last week ended with some extreme heat, followed by a couple of dreamy days to start this week. It was the perfect time for the ice cream truck to stop by! I apologize for the terrible picture—I didn't realize how bad it was until now. Anytime we can get a couple of nights in the 60s during July, we view that as an absolute gift. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. We're back into the upper 90s for the next couple of days, along with some incredible humidity. Overall, everything is in decent shape for July. The greens are a little wetter than we would like, but the rain earlier in the week, soil spray applications that require a little overhead irrigation, and all of this humidity have kept them a little fat and swollen. Unfortunately, it seems like the last couple of soil spray applications have come due just as we've started getting some rainfall. It would be nice if those lined up with periods when the greens were drying down instead of getting wetter, but such is ...