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Opening Drive
THIS YEAR’S VSGA CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON extended all the way into Novem-
ber, the first time it has done so in recent memory.
This was not by design. The Mid-Senior and Senior Amateur championships were
scheduled for late September at Loudoun Golf & Country Club in Purcellville, but
after another burst of heavy rainfall, the course was rendered unplayable, forcing a
postponement deep into the fall.
Talk to anyone associated with golf this year, and the conversation will inevitably
steer toward the weather. Take Richmond,
for instance. As of Oct. 30, Richmond had
received 54.63 inches of rain, a good 18
inches more than normal. Twice this year,
“Superintendents
Richmond set rainfall records for wettest
earned every cent of
months in history (May and June), and this
came after precipitation was below normal
their paychecks this
from the end of February through mid-May.
year trying to keep
I spent three days at Winchester Coun-
their courses playable,
try Club in October, where the weather
was unseasonably cool but thankfully
and they should be
mostly dry. Much like the Mid-Senior
commended.”
and Super Senior Amateurs, the VSGA’s
Mid-Amateur Championship was pushed
back a month due to weather, this time due
to the threat of severe weather associated
with Hurricane Florence.
It was the right call for a number of reasons, even if the storm veered southwest and
missed much of Virginia. For one, part of Virginia was under a mandatory evacuation
order. It’s tough to ask players to compete in an event when they’re worried about
their homes and families. Secondly, even another couple of inches of rain would have
led to a likely postponement due to course conditions.
One of WCC’s prettiest features is the stream that runs through the first part of the
back nine. But in the case of historic rain, that stream becomes a curse. Andy Hersey,
WCC’s PGA head professional, flipped through several photos on his phone, showing
me exactly how a summer full of flooding rain affected his course. Winchester had to
close for more than 50 days this summer because holes 10 and 13, specifically, were
underwater due to the stream overflowing its banks.
The weather was the story in golf in Virginia in 2018, that’s why our cover story in our
year-end issue is about how difficult of a road it was for superintendents just to keep
courses open. If the conditions weren’t great at your club this year, rest assured, your
club wasn’t the only one. Superintendents earned every cent of their paychecks this
year trying to keep their courses playable, and they should be commended.
As the calendar turns to 2019, we can only hope conditions normalize. Supers
everywhere could certainly use the break.
News & Notes
HARDWICK TO RETIRE
After 36 years, 13 NCAA regional appear-
ances and five NCAA Championship
berths, Virginia Tech coach Jay Hardwick
is ready to let someone else guide the
Hokies’ program.
Hardwick, a native of Narrows, Va.,
who played at Tech from 1967-71 and has
been the Hokies’ head coach since 1983,
will retire at the end of the spring season.
“It has been a great honor to spend my
entire coaching career at Virginia Tech,
and I am indebted to all of the ‘Hackin’
Hokies,’ my former players and golf team
supporters for allowing me to serve them,
our golf program, and this wonderful
university,” Hardwick said in a Tech
press release.
Hardwick’s longevity helped him gain
a unique honor in college coaching: He’s
the only coach in NCAA history to lead a
team to titles—outright or tied—in four
different conferences (Metro, Atlantic
10, Big East and ACC). Tech last reached
the NCAA championship in men’s golf
in 2014. In each of the last 12 seasons, a
Hokie team or individual has qualified for
NCAA regionals.
“I had three goals when I started coach-
ing,” Hardwick said. “One, to help endow
the golf program. Two, to help build first-
class facilities. And three, to leave the
program in solid shape. Given the out-
standing recruiting class this year, the
golf program is on solid ground and posi-
tioned for future growth and success.”
“I had three goals when
I started coaching. One,
to help endow the golf
program. Two, to help build
first-class facilities. And
three, to leave the program
in solid shape.”
—Jay Hardwick
Chris Lang, Editor
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vsga.org
Riding Out
the Storm