the palmer course

Everyone, 

I want to thank you for another great season at the Palmer Course and for your patience.  Last season (2021) we set a record for the number of rounds played and this year we broke that record.  People returning or beginning to play golf is the one good thing we got from COVID.  We also had a record-breaking year in the golf shop with retail sales this year.  From all indications that I am hearing from golf industry insiders, 2023 looks to continue the trend of the past 30 months regarding rounds of golf being played and golf retail. 

I want to thank you for your patience because as you know Mother Nature was not kind to us this year with over 40 inches (that is not a misprint) of rain since May 1.  A large quantity of that rain was from about July 25 to August 7 and it made getting mowing equipment on the course a challenge, thus some of the grass, especially the rough got away from us.  The amount of rain also posed a challenge in getting the water drained off the course, coupled with 90 plus degree temperatures caused us to lose some turf in the fairways.  We have taken some steps to correct this issue and will be working diligently over the winter to correct other drainage issues to help keep the golf course drier and more playable in the seasons to come.  We have gotten the grass back under control and for about the last month conditions on the course have been as good if not better than they were for the West Virginia Open, which we hosted for the first time ever this past June. 

As we close out the 2022 season for golf on Sunday, November 13 we are not really taking a break, we are just putting the golf course to bed for the winter.  We are already hard at work preparing for the 2023 season working on programming, booking golf groups who want to visit our magnificent property from all over the tri-state region and looking for ways to enhance every round of golf played, so it is not just a round of golf, but a positive golf experience.  

One of those enhancements will be our new fleet of Club Car golf carts that are scheduled for delivery in early spring.  I have seen the color scheme in the mockup from Club Car and can’t wait to see the real thing (I should be able to see one in our color scheme at the PGA Show in Orlando in January and I will report back.)  If you can’t tell from tone of this paragraph, I am excited, as is the entire golf team, about the new fleet of carts and the upgrade for the property they will bring. We have some other upgrades that will be happening, but I will save those for the early spring golf newsletter and hopefully at that time I can share some pictures of the carts and projects around the golf course. 

I hope everyone enjoyed the 2022 season as much as I have, and hope you will return for the 2023 season to play the majority of your golf.  Season Passes and Kings Cards for the 2023 season are available now at the 2022 season pass rates.  These along with gift cards from Stonewall Resort make the perfect gift for that person who is hard to buy for or who already has everything they need.  Happy Holidays to you and your family  from all of us here at the Palmer Course at Stonewall Resort. 

Sincerely, 

Mike Rogers

PGA Director of Golf