Sun is still out, but maybe not for long. All weather forecasts are pointing toward the same thing, heavy snow. Not a couple inches like the storms we saw in December, or the dusting we had this past Sunday, but a true winter storm. One meteorologist said that 6–12 inches is a good preliminary number to plan for. The last time Richmond saw over 10 inches of snow was in December of 2018. Nothing is for sure as the forecast is continually changing.
The incoming snow or ice is hardly the worst of it. Temperatures are expected to drop after the storm, and over the next 10 days we may only see a couple of days above freezing following the snowfall. Most nighttime low temperatures will fall into the teens, with a few nights even dipping into the single digits.
The Manakin team was able to get all of the tee markers in to give them a fresh coat of paint. We still have some in our paint booth, so you may not see the green or yellow tees back on the course until tomorrow or early next week. We will keep going on Sabot tee markers next week. You will also notice that about half of the bunker rakes are currently gone, along both courses, these have been brought inside for a facelift. Once we complete the rakes we have in the shop, we will return them to the course and then bring in the remaining rakes to clean them up as well.
While there is still some snow remaining here on #13 Manakin from the dusting we received last weekend, we went ahead and opened the Manakin course a day early. With today’s high reaching 58 degrees it was close enough to our 60 degree threshold we could justify allowing golf. Not to mention the incoming winter weather that could close both courses next week. However, #13 Manakin will remain on the path until all snow has melted.
Our chipper broke down last week, which delayed some of our tree work. Dunstano and Carlos had to wait on a couple of parts that finally arrived, and the chipper is back up and running today. We even gave it a quick test run at the dump this morning. With the chipper operational again, we can refocus on removing trees that are blocking sunlight and preventing snow from melting in these areas. We still have plenty of trees to remove on the right of #4 tee Manakin, also to the right of #13 fairway, as shown in the photo earlier.
The wire for a couple of the Manakin fans has finally arrived. These six spools are for #9 and #18 Manakin. Each fan requires three individual wires for power, two hot wires, and a ground wire. Unfortunately, the wire didn’t arrive in time to get it in the ground this week. We’re hoping to install it next week, but that will depend on the weather.
We were able to finish the small paver project around this catch basin just before the weekend last Friday, and here is your final result.
The team continues to keep a close eye on the incoming storm, and we have done everything we can to prepare for whatever conditions arrive. The forecast continues to change daily, so at this point the only guarantee is that some form of winter weather will likely impact the area. When push comes to shove, snow would certainly be preferable to ice. Either way gear up for some cold temperatures as we head into next week. Have a great weekend!
