The clock has really started on the Manakin re-grass

This week we started to harvest sod from the Manakin and install it on the Sabot. Last year some of the tees on the Manakin suffered winter kill and were replaced with Northbridge bermudagrass. That turf is acceptable but will not match up exactly to the new Latitude being installed this summer. Over the next 3 weeks we will make the best use of this turf over on the Sabot. 

The first spot we picked to install the sod from 16 Manakin was here around the collar on 7 Sabot. This collar consisted of thin ryegrass and not much bermudagrass. The old sod was stripped and the new sod was laid down smoothly right behind.

The tee to the right of the cart path on 7 Sabot was also patched up and will be put back into play shortly. In addition to the Northbridge sod from the Manakin we will also be looking to steal some of the older bermuda off the tees in order to patch some voids in the rough on the Sabot. We will be out with some sort of sod crew very frequently over the next few weeks before we begin the herbicide spray on the Manakin May 28th.

This week we did a test spray application for the when the time comes on the Manakin. We filled the sprayers with water and double checked all the areas, the tees, the fairways and roughs, where we will be applying the non selective herbicide on May 28th. This practice run also allowed us to double check the measurement and we are right on the 90 acre total. We found plenty of tight spots that will be carefully hand sprayed, most likely the week before. This will enable us to move forward unhindered on the 28th with the big sprayers. If you missed the Info Session last week, the PowerPoint is available on the front page of the Blog and the entire session was recorded on video and is on the Hermitage Facebook page.

The weather has been excellent for bentgrass recovery after aeration on the Sabot. The rains have washed the last of the sand in and we have been mowing through the dew without issue all week. On Friday the greens will be mowed and rolled and the turf should be putting really close to normal for the weekend. By next week it will be difficult to tell that we put over 60 tons of sand in these greens, they are ready for a great season!