From Sunshine to Showers
Monday we got off to a great start with some perfect weather. Even though it’s not officially fall yet, the "fall like" weather has been a huge benefit for our bentgrass greens and staff. We were able to remove a good number of trees along the right side of 13 cart path before the not so perfect weather started. With these trees gone it will open up the fairway to more sunlight and help us reduce the risk of winter kill that tends to occur in that area year after year.
We also managed to seed a couple of cool season grass areas along with the clubhouse lawn just before the rain moved in. The timing couldn’t have been better, as the moisture should give us a great boost in germination.
We started Thursday morning with carts restricted to the paths, but by the afternoon we were able to get almost every hole off path on both courses. This really highlights just how important good drainage is. There are still a few areas we plan to address this winter by installing additional drainage, which will help water filter through the soil more efficiently and allow us to dry out even faster after rain events like this one.
Everyone was eager to get back out on the golf course. With no bunkers raked and no grass mowed during the stretch of wet weather, the team was all smiles to finally get back on the courses and knock out some much-needed work after what felt like a slow week.
The bermudagrass is still hanging on with daytime highs in the mid to upper 80s, but our greens are really thriving thanks to the cooler nighttime temperatures. This weekend is shaping up to be a perfect weekend to get out and enjoy some golf.
A quick reminder: we will be aerifying the Manakin Course this upcoming Tuesday.
Finally, please join us in wishing Chris Harriman farewell, as tomorrow will be his last day with Hermitage Country Club. We thank him for his hard work and dedication, and we wish him all the best in his next chapter.