Hermitage CC Golf Course Management

 It has been an absolutely beautiful week here at Hermitage. The stretch of warmer days and, just as importantly, warmer nights was exactly what the doctor ordered for our Bermudagrass. To top it off, we received about a half inch of rain last night—perfect timing with those warm overnight temperatures. There’s a certain level of excitement this time of year that only true turf nerds understand. Waiting for the sun to come up after a warm rain, just to see how much more green has popped overnight—it never gets old. That said, we’ve made great strides this week identifying what we have and what still needs attention, and we’re in much better shape than we initially expected. MONDAY # 10 MANAKIN     THURSDAY #10 MANAKIN We started the week by bringing in a tractor load of sod to address the areas we knew needed it. Most of these spots are in high-traffic collars around practice greens, pinch points between greens and approaches on Manakin, and some bunker edges that took...

 It’s still early… but there’s a lot to be excited about. As winter begins to loosen its grip on the Mid-Atlantic, we’re seeing more and more signs of life across the property. The recent stretch of favorable weather has really helped move things in the right direction, and each day is giving us a clearer picture of how the golf courses are coming out of the winter of 2025–2026. Overall, bermudagrass recovery is off to a very encouraging start. Sabot has greened up really well across most areas. That’s likely due to a combination of increased moisture, more consistent snow cover, reduced cart traffic, and a more open canopy (a lot of the reasons that we see less play on Sabot throughout the winter). Those conditions provided a great environment for the turf to come through winter strong, and it’s showing early as we transition into spring. As always, winter impact varies depending on a number of factors—moisture levels, traffic patterns, compaction, shade, and exposure. The mor...

 I feel like this blog has turned into a weekly recap of the wild weather swings here in Richmond… and, well, this week is no different. This was aeration week for the Manakin greens, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. In true spring fashion, the weather had other plans. We worked around off-and-on rain Monday (more on than off) and kept a close eye on the tornado warning that evening. Thankfully, we avoided any touchdowns on property, with just a few trees down to clean up. To stay ahead of the storms, the team got a jump start Saturday night by completing deep tining and a roll. That decision paid off, allowing us to wrap up most of the remaining aeration work on Tuesday while also tackling storm cleanup. The Manakin greens received deep tines, ½" solid tines, and .3" cores, followed by topdressing and a nutrient package. All things considered, the process went as smoothly as it could given the wet conditions. With several cold mornings this week, recovery has been a bit ...

 

 The weather lately has been about as Virginia as it gets. We went from conditions frozen solid like a rock, to a week of temperatures in the 80s with a high pushing near 90, and now we’re looking at snow falling on Friday. It certainly keeps us on our toes this time of year. We successfully completed all of our summer pre-emergent applications and sprays targeting poa in the bermudagrass. Interestingly, we’ve seen quite a bit of green bermuda popping this week. While it’s encouraging to see some life of spring, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the upcoming cold snap doesn’t turn that green grass purple for a bit. Bunker detailing continues on both courses. Recently, the team began brushing some of the compacted sand in the lower areas of bunker surrounds. This work will continue as we move through the spring. Tree work is also nearing completion for the season. We only have a few more removals scheduled before we call it finished for the year. One of the projects complet...