{"id":7664,"date":"2026-05-28T07:01:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/7664\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T07:01:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:01:51","slug":"drought-rain-creating-challenges-during-truist-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/7664\/","title":{"rendered":"Drought, rain creating challenges during Truist Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2014\u00a0The Truist Championship is underway<\/a> in Charlotte this week. While thousands of golf fans enjoy the tournament, the drought and recent rain have created challenges for Quail Hollow Club\u2019s grounds team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s one of those things that when people come out to enjoy the golf tournament, they’re kind of awed by the beauty of the property,\u201d Keith Wood, the director of green and grounds at the club, said. \u201cWhat they really have to remember is that we’re also prepping a first-class sports field for professional golfers.\u201d<\/p>\n

What You Need To Know<\/p>\n

Dozens of horticulturists and greenskeepers have been prepping the golf course at Quail Hollow Club for weeks\u00a0
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Keith Wood, director of green and grounds, said dry conditions from the drought have “helped with playability” on the golf course
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Tournament play was delayed by several hours Thursday due to heavy rain\u00a0
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The Truist Championship runs through Sunday<\/p>\n

The grounds team is made up of dozens of horticulturists and greenskeepers who began prepping the course weeks ago. They mowed and watered the grass to ensure it was the right firmness for the tournament. They used equipment, including a moisture meter, to measure how much moisture is in the soil so they know how much to water it.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessional golfers want the fairways and the greens to be very firm so that way the ball bounces and bounds,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThat’s pretty important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team is in a constant battle with the weather. Tournament play was delayed by several hours Thursday due to heavy rain.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the drought brought dry conditions to the course in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Luckily, Wood said, dry conditions have worked in their favor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s definitely been helpful for playability,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s been a work in progress for the aesthetics and the presentation of the golf course. We’ve been getting little spurts of rain here and there the last couple of days, which has helped out tremendously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood said Quail Hollow Club is \u201cself-sufficient\u201d and gets its water from its own lake and well. Because of this, he said recent water restrictions implemented by the city of Charlotte do not apply to the club.<\/p>\n

While the grounds team is focused on the course, hundreds of volunteers are running the tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy just being in this atmosphere, being around everyone and seeing the community of Charlotte come together,\u201d Chris Stalcup, a volunteer, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stalcup has volunteered at different golf championships for the past 25 years and is helping run the fan shop this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m passionate about this because I know so many individuals enjoy golf,\u201d Stalcup said. \u201cThey enjoy getting out and just being around others.\u201d<\/p>\n

That passion can be seen around the golf course and is the reason crews, volunteers and patrons come back each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most rewarding aspect of this job is after we get done preparing the golf course on Sunday morning and they’re out playing, we get to finally just kick back and watch the players play, enjoy the sounds that are coming from the patrons on the golf course and when good shots are made, and see all the smiles on everybody’s faces,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe know we’ve done our part and we just hope we have a good competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Truist Championship runs through Sunday.<\/p>\n

Follow us on Instagram at\u00a0spectrumnews1nc<\/a>\u00a0for news and other happenings across North Carolina.<\/p>\n