I shouldn't have said that...

 

I probably shouldn't have said that...

Last week I was talking about the ideal weather conditions—cool nights, comfortable days, and just about perfect for the golf course. Well, that paragraph really came back to bite me this week.

It's been a rough one.

The greens are actually holding up well and continue to survive this stretch of heat, but they're definitely on the slow side. This turtle crossing was a pretty good representation of playing conditions this week. The heat and humidity have the greens puffed back up again, and we avoid using the roller during weather like this. There just isn't much to gain, and we'd rather protect the plant than chase green speed.

Thankfully, this weekend's forecast looks much better. With a few cooler nights leading into Member-Member, we will be able to start working on improving both green speed and firmness.

One thing we've been fortunate enough to avoid this week—so far—is rain. This is exactly how we prefer it during extreme heat. Being able to control the moisture levels in the greens is a huge advantage. If it's under our control, that's a good thing. You can always add water when you need it, but you can't take it back out.

The staff has been grinding all week with daily course setup, afternoon moisture checks, and syringing greens. I think everyone is about done with this summer, both mentally and physically. We all feel a little like Charlie Longest looks in this picture. We've just got to keep grinding for a few more weeks until we get deeper into September.

The Sabot greens continue to recover nicely from aerification. They're still a bit bumpy, but overall they're coming along well. We intentionally avoid topdressing during weeks like this because the sand can be very abrasive to the leaf blade. Combined with mowing, traffic, and heat stress, it can slightly—or sometimes significantly—injure the plant. Manakin will go through the same aerification process on September 14th and 15th.

I experienced a first for me at Hermitage this week. Yesterday, around 1:00 p.m., I drove by the practice range and actually had to do a double take. There wasn't a single person on the range tee. That's the first time I've ever seen it completely empty after noon. When that happens, you know it's hot.

While the bentgrass is simply trying to survive, the Bermuda continues to shine. We're definitely burning plenty of diesel mowing all the short grass at least three times a week, but it's looking outstanding. We'll be making another plant growth regulator application on Tuesday to prepare everything for the upcoming stretch of tournament play.  We started off the week with a light verticut and mow on the Manakin green surrounds to tighten things up a little.

The rough is also about as thick and juicy as it gets this time of year. It's the same height we've maintained most of the season—it simply has the environmental conditions to be living its best life. Fat and happy.

We're continuing to clean up the native areas on Sabot, and that project is coming along nicely. The crew also spent some time over at the tennis facility after the new lighting installation, getting all of the pavers put back together. They did an outstanding job. It's awesome to have a staff that can complete projects like that in-house and do them at such a high level.

It wouldn’t be a complete week without a little irrigation issue.  The boys got this nicked wire on #3 Manakin fixed quickly and #3&#4 back on line in short order.

Hopefully, the worst of this heat is behind us. We're looking forward to some cooler nights, firmer greens, and getting everything dialed in for a great Member-Member weekend. We appreciate everyone's patience during this late-summer stretch and look forward to seeing you at the club.