About Smith Mountain Lake's Smith Mountain Lake Franklin County

People flock to Smith Mountain lake every year for the golf on one of our championship courses. When you buy a home at Water's Edge or one of our other waterfront developments, I want to keep you up to date on anything that might affect your satisfaction.

Vicki Millehan, Vickislakehomes.com

Dear Water's Edge Member,

I would like to thank you for your patience during the past couple of months with the condition of various greens. As you may be aware, we have struggled with a new disease called "Take-all Patch," which attacks the root system of new greens. We have worked closely with Virginia Tech over the summer to correct the problems and we are seeing many improvements. The last couple of weeks have been ideal growing conditions and the weaker greens are recovering nicely.

During the course renovation there was much debate as to the type of fairway greens we should use. Currently, we have a mix of Bluegrass and Rye in the fairways along with some Bent. We chose to move forward with Bluegrass because of its playability and the color it provides year-round; however, we have not seen the results we were looking for with the new Bluegrass.

After much consultation and close guidance from Virginia Tech, we are making a change in the fairway grasses. This does not mean we will be closing the course, but we will be interseeding all fairways with "Memorial" Bentgrass, This is a creeping Bentgrass that is one of the top rated fairway grasses on the market. This means fairways will be able to be cut at lower heights and provide a pristine playing surface. In addition, we should be able to keep fairways drier throughout the year giving the ball more roll for distance.

Interseeding with the "Memorial" Bentgrass will begin next week in all fairways. It is important during the germination process and grow-in that we reduce impacts to allow for growth. Carts will be restricted to cart path and roughs only through at least the end of October.

We are excited about this change and are confident that you will see the benefits as the Bentgrass takes over in our fairways. The transition to the Bentgrass will take several years to occur but will offer a playing surface second to none.

Thank you for your continued confidence and please bear with us during this transition.

Ronald L. Willard
President
Willard Construction of Roanoke Valley, Inc.

Hot Shots ! @ Halloween

(a little while ago but catching up on photos)

Here @ Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia our little ones hungry for candy - had alot of fun trick or treating @ a fun place called Hot Shots (Golf and fun center) in Westlake. Businesses can sponsor a hole and give out candy and other goodies/marketing materials and the kids/adults don't have to walk house to house - like a trunk or treat. Anyway, below you will see some of the pics of a good time. If youare @ Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia @ Halloween next year - its a must go to event!