President's Day Golf!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Sunday, February 16th and the big thaw continues in Charlotte, NC!  I just wrapped up my second tour of the golf course today as I inspected the course a little past noon to get an early assessment, then waited until 3:00 pm to take a second look.  Things melted significantly in those last two hours and I am happy to report the course will be open for golf tomorrow, President's Day!  

During my first tour of the course we still had seven putting surfaces with 100% snow cover, including numbers 1 and 11.  However, the pictures below indicate things changed in the favor of those members afflicted with cabin fever this afternoon.

Number 1

Number 11

Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing tonight and thus a frost delay is imminent in the morning.  My staff and I still need to help Mother Nature finish clearing away some lingering snow from just a few greens, and we will have to wait on the frost in order to do so.

The golf course will open at 10:00 am for those wishing to reserve a tee time.  It is important to note the golf course is still extremely wet from all the precipitation, and all golf cars will need to remain on the paths tomorrow!  Thank you for your patience and understanding, and I will...

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent

Snowmagedon 2014!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Friday, February 14th (Happy Valentine's Day) and the golf course is covered in snow...again!  This time the city of Charlotte set a record with 3 consecutive days of at least one inch of measurable snowfall and the "official" total recorded at the airport was 7.6 inches.  The metro area experienced all forms of wintry precipitation the past three days (snow, sleet, freezing rain) either alone or in some combination.  At my home we had a base layer of heavy, wet snow approximately 5 to 6 inches thick, followed by an ice layer approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inch thick, and then capped yesterday with an additional 2 inches of fluffy snow.  Here at the golf course the storm started as ice.  We have a layer nearly one inch thick topped with 4 inches of beautiful, fluffy snow.

I managed to extricate myself yesterday and visited the course in the afternoon with my professional photographer.  Some members of my staff are here today working diligently to clear the walks and parking areas in and around the clubhouse.  The conditions this morning still prohibited a few individuals from being able to come to work safely.  The forecast is for increasing temperatures the next seven days, so I don't expect this to persist too long, but the course will remain closed until the snow cover melts.  Please check with the Golf Shop for the latest details.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and if that is the case, then today's blog contains several thousand!  Below are some of the best from the nearly 100 photos my wife took yesterday as we trekked around the golf course.  I hope you enjoy!

A Grey Sky Greets Us!

Our Adventure Begins!

Snow Blankets A Deep Bunker #6!

View From Behind #13!

Snow Accents the Bunkers #5!

View From Behind #5 Green!

No.'s 7 & 5

Small Mounds and Deep Bunkers!

Notice the Bright Skies Now!

Well, that's all for now.  Hopefully you enjoyed these photos.  Personally, I find something peaceful and serene about a golf course blanketed in snow.  I love the way the topographical features of the course are accentuated and clearly distinguishable.  Growing up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the southwestern corner of Virginia, I experienced a lot of snow and find myself missing it sometimes (to my wife's chagrin).  This is the largest single snow event in the Charlotte area since my wife and I arrived here in 2005, and it reminded me of those snowfalls I fondly recall from my youth. It actually made for the perfect sledding conditions...

Great afternoon to sled at @CGC1929 pic.twitter.com/PSVCOLiob0
— MichaelA.Catanese,Jr (@MichaelCatanese) February 13, 2014

See you on the course,

Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent