Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte NC has seen torrential rains and water-logging earlier this week. As the PGA Championship gets underway the weather forecast is brighter.
Golf fans will be tuning in for the PGA Championships over the next few days with Round 1 starting today, Thursday 15th May. The Major Championship is being hosted at Quail Hollow Club (QHC) in Charlotte, North Carolina for the first time since 2017. The weather has already been causing mischief with torrential downpours and surface flooding.
This has hindered preparations for the players and kept the spectators away as they were not allowed into the course on Monday. The players have seen their practice rounds disrupted, with some delaying their arrival or heading elsewhere earlier this week.
Charlotte had seen drought conditions earlier in the year but heavy and thundery rains set in leaving waterlogged sections of the course. The area has seen 5" of rain since May 3rd and a tree near the fifth hole was hit by lightning on the 14th May. The stationary low pressure has now moved away allowing the course to begin to dry out and ground staff to mow the fairways.
Keith Wood, director of greens and grounds, and his team (of 130) had worked hard to get the course ready and perfect and then the rain started. They have had to adapt and be flexible Although the course remains soft he chose to look on the bright side, “The greens really are good with a well-maintained sand-based root zone". They are awaiting opportunities to get back and mow once it dries out.
The conditions are still soggy underfoot, even slippy with very wet turf and a good bit of bounce on the fast greens. Officials have stated that they will continue with the ‘play the ball as it lies’ rule and not make any changes due to the conditions.
Players will be aware that mud may collect on the ball, particularly as it rolls along the wet fairways. No one wants water or mud interfering with the flight of the ball either.
The outlook for Charlotte, NC
The weather has improved with a fine, bright day with sunny spells on Thursday. Friday looks more cloudy and will feel very warm and humid, 90F with a light SW wind, so 32 Celsius.
Saturday NWS “A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 89F. West southwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.”
Saturday does look like the day with a higher chance of rain, even interruptions due to lightning risk. A low pressure away to the northwest will begin to move eastwards and North Carolina will catch the frontal rain bands and unsettled weather on the south side of this system.
Sunday looks like being a more settled drier day with bright spells at 87F 30C.
Organisers at the beginning of the week may have had their head in their hands looking out the window at the torrents but things are definitely improving. There might be a few upsets along the way in Round 1 as the conditions settle in Charlotte.
Playing golf in the UK this weekend, check out the forecast here.
Loading recent activity...
