36 minute read
Course + Grounds
STAYING IN
AT FIRST GLANCE, THE MIDLANDS region of South Carolina might be not be regarded as a top golfing desti nati on. Those in the know, however, might say otherwise. The award-winning golf course at Orangeburg (S.C.) Country Club (OCC), originally designed by Ellis Maples in 1961 and renovated in 2009 by Pinehurst, N.C., golf course architect Richard Mandell, consistently ranks as one of the best in the state.
Among its many accolades, Orangeburg CC was named one of the Top 30 Golf Courses by the South Carolina Golf Course Rati ngs Panel (SCGCRP)—a group of 100 golf media, avid players, and industry insiders—in 2019. The property also garnered nati onal att enti on that year, landing on the Golfweek 2019 Ulti mate Guide of the nati on’s Top 200 Residenti al Golf Courses.
The golf course conti nued its award-winning streak in 2020, when the SCGCRP split up its rankings into classic (designed and created before 1980) and modern categories, to bett er refl ect the type of courses built during each era. Competi ng with its statewide peers, OCC took the No. 9 spot in the inaugural list of Top 20 Classic Courses. The SCGCRP also placed Orangeburg at No. 43 of its Top 50 Golf Courses in South Carolina, and the Golfweek Ulti mate Guide again ranked the property in its Top 200 Residenti al Golf Courses.
The rati ngs panel also named Orangeburg’s par-5 No. 18 as the state’s “Most Challenging Finishing Hole” in the Midlands in 2014. “We’re well-known in South Carolina for [that] hole,” says Superintendent Alex Tolbert. With the 137-acre golf course located on the Edisto River, No. 18 runs parallel to the water.
“We strive to have the best golf course in South Carolina,” notes General Manager Randy Carter, a 30-year Orangeburg resident who has been at the facility for eight months. “We have won a lot of awards through the years, and we just try to live up to that every day.”
However, it’s not just Orangeburg members and their fellow South Carolinians who appreciate the golf course at the private facility. As part of the Golf Santee tourism promoti on, the property off ers package play for non-members as well. Located halfway between New York and Florida, the course att racts many golfers from Canada and the northeast U.S.
STAYING IN FOCUS
Though it’s off the beaten path, the awardwinning golf course at Orangeburg (S.C.) Country Club boasts pristine conditions that have earned statewide and national recognition.
By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor
Golf Scorecard ORANGEBURG COUNTRY CLUB
Location: Orangeburg, S.C. Club Website: https://orangeburgcc.com Club Type: Private No. of Members: 425 Year Opened: 1922 (moved to current location in 1961-‘62) Golf Holes: 18 Course Designer: Ellis Maples; 2009 renovation – Richard Mandell Golf Season: Year-round Annual Rounds of Golf: 20,000 Fairways: Bermuda Greens: Champion Bermuda Honors and Awards: • 2014 – Top 50 Golf Courses in S.C. (#45) (unranked before renovation) and Most
Challenging Closing Hole in the Midlands by South Carolina Golf Course Ratings
Panel (SCGCRP) • 2015 – Most Improved Course/Best
Renovation or Restoration since 2005,
Midlands Region, by SCGCRP • 2016 – Best Private Club Value in S.C., by
SCGCRP • 2018 – Golfweek’s Ultimate Guide: Top 200 Residential Golf Courses (#178) • 2019 – Top 30 Courses You Can Play in
South Carolina by SCGCRP • 2020 – Top 50 Golf Courses in S.C. (#43) amd Top 50 Classic Courses of S.C. (#9) by SCGCRP; Top 200 Residential
Golf Courses (#193), Golfweek’s Ultimate
Guide.
“We’re a litt le smaller and off the beaten path, but we’re lower-priced and more hospitable,” says PGA Director of Golf David Lackey, an Orangeburg nati ve who has worked at the property for 13 years. “The Golf Santee traffi c really helps the region.”
UPDATED DESIGN, OLD-SCHOOL FEEL
The course renovati on was spearheaded by local businessman and Orangeburg CC member Frank Tourville Sr., who passed away in March of this year, aft er he bought the property in 2009. Former Superintendent Tom Green oversaw the project that launched the 18-hole layout into the upper echelon of South Carolina golf courses. Tolbert, who will celebrate his 10th anniversary at the property in October, has since kept it among the state’s fi nest courses.
The initi al renovati on plans included leveling the tee complexes, converti ng the cart paths from asphalt to concrete, installing a double-row irrigati on system, and renovating and updati ng the bunkers.
As the project progressed, a decision was made to rebuild all of the green complexes as well, aft er Mandell used old aerial photos to illustrate how the greens had shrunk by an average of 17%—a common feature in older courses because of changes in mowing patt erns. The greens rebuild also included repair of the greenside bunkers.
“[Mandell] wanted to take it back to the original Ellis Maples design with modernday aspects,” notes Tolbert. “We can do more now with technology and equipment.”
The architect drove the renovati on, reports Lackey, who has opened new golf courses as an assistant and as a head professional. His role in the Orangeburg project was to determine the look of the golf course ameniti es—from the signs, ball markers, and waste cans to the logo and scorecard.
The property also moved the ninth green to install a short-game facility, and relocated the maintenance facility from the corner of the driving range to a corner of the property that is sti ll centrally located.
Tolbert describes the golf course, which has houses on the perimeter, as a wideopen property with an old-school layout and feel, and a lot of parallel holes. The clubhouse divides the golf course, with the front nine on one side and the back nine on the other.
The roomy Bermuda fairways and large Champion Bermuda greens, with undulati ons that provide most of the defense for the course, can accommodate a variety of shots. “This is our second sti nt with Champion Bermuda,” says Tolbert. “We fi rst installed it in 1997.”
The course also features high-lipped, fl ash-faced bunkers, where the sand rises dramati cally up the sides—a Maples signature design feature. The bunkers are used for framing and directi on to make them a visual, rather than strategic, element on the course. Diamond zoysia on the bunker surrounds also provides more defi niti on.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Aft er the renovati on, Lackey reports, “There was a shift in the way we thought about things. We started paying more attenti on to detail.”
That atti tude starts at the top. “The way we maintain the course comes from our owner [an LLC formed under the umbrella of a large local manufacturing company],”
says Tolbert. “Everything is expected to be the best it can be every single day.”
One of the most important maintenance inputs is also one of the simplest. “Alex does such a good job of keeping the course neat and clean,” Lackey says. “That’s one of his goals, and he executes it with his team.”
“We try to keep the cleanest golf course possible,” adds Tolbert.” “We clean up pine cones, limbs, etc.”
The golf course includes 80 acres of rough, tees, and fairways, and pine groves separate the holes from each other.
In additi on, the types of grasses on the playing surfaces enhance the course. With the Bermuda tees and fairways and Champion Bermuda greens, the height of cut can provide the turf quality and fast green speeds that the members want.
“Warm-season grasses are the only things that are going to survive throughout the year in Orangeburg,” notes Tolbert.
Low-growing zoysia, which also was installed on a few tee boxes in shadier areas Superintendent Profile ALEX TOLBERT
such as Nos. 17 and 18, is more shade-tolerant than Bermuda. Years at Orangeburg CC: 9 While the property doesn’t Years in Golf Course have much zoysia, the diff erent Maintenance Profession: 20 grasses aff ect the golfers’ eye. Previous Employment:
In season, the grounds crew • Providence Country Club, Charlotte, N.C. members mow the tees and • The Cliffs Valley, Greenville, S.C. fairways two or three ti mes a Education and Training: A.S. Turfgrass Management, week, and the greens every Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, N.C. day in the summer. The staff Certifications: S.C. Commercial Applicators Licenses might take a day off and have a “maintenance Monday” when they verti cut tors on the greens every week during the the greens every other week and topdress season, and every 2 1/2 to three weeks on every week. The staff verti cuts the tees, the tees and fairways. fairways, and approaches once a month, The maintenance staff waters the greens and crew members will solid- or vent-ti ne as needed and uses a hose on them from throughout the growing season as well. ti me to ti me as well. “We use moisture
“Off -season, we mow and/or roll the meters on the greens throughout the week greens as needed,” says Tolbert. “We knock during the growing season,” says Tolbert. the dew off for early tee ti mes.” “We have indicator greens that we check
To limit clippings and cleanup aft er they fi rst.” mow, grounds crew members apply growth He adjusts the irrigati on schedule as regulators on short-cut areas such as tees, needed, running diff erent programs for diffairways and approaches. They use regula- ferent ti mes of the year.
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General Manager • CFO/Director of Finance/Controller • Executive Chef • Clubhouse Manager • F+B Director • Golf/Tennis Directors • Membership/Marketing Director • HR Consulting + Training • Golf Course Superintendents
WHERE PROCESS, INTEGRITY AND RESULTS INTERSECT
Randy Carter became Orangeburg CC’s General Manager in 2020. The club’s goal for golf is simple, Carter says: “We strive to have the best golf course in South Carolina. We have won a lot of awards through the years, and we just try to live up to that every day.“
“Every head is individually controlled so we can adjust each head to a specific time or a specific area,” he says. “We base it on past experience. It’s a work in progress. We make adjustments to those programs weekly or monthly. We’re constantly adjusting those programs, to make sure we’re not over- or under-watering.”
The property’s hybrid pushup greens contain some sand, which helps them dry out quicker. The greens also have all surface drainage. “Drainage is always going to be an issue,” says Tolbert. “We work on it all year, especially in the winter.”
CONSTANT ATTENTION
Orangeburg CC also has an outside pond and lake management team that comes to the golf course once a month.
To care for the bunkers, grounds crew members maintain them every other day. They rake the bunkers and touch them up twice a week. “It’s a challenge to stay on top of them,” says Tolbert. “We have to do a little bit more because the golfers don’t have rakes.”
The maintenance staff uses fungicides on the greens bi-weekly during the season, and fertilizes them weekly once the grass starts growing. They also fertilize every two or three weeks in the winter, depending on weather and temperature.
“Summer can last a long time,” Tolbert notes. “The days might be shorter, but it still gets in the 90s in October.”
Pre-emergent chemicals are applied three or four times a year on the golf course wall-to-wall, except on the greens. Controlling goose grass, crabgrass, and poa annua in the winter is a constant battle, adds Tolbert.
The greens are aerified twice a year— once in June and once in July. The grounds crew aerifies the tee, fairways, and approaches once a year in late July.
“We have a lot of play in the early and late summer,” says Tolbert. “We try to put the best product out there as many days as we possibly can.”
SENSIBLE DECISIONS
In the past three years, notes Tolbert, the maintenance staff has gotten away from overseeding in the winter. “The transition was so good, we decided we like it better,” he explains. “Winter overseeding was not bringing that much play to us.”
In addition, he says, the playing surfaces have been better in the spring since the crew stopped overseeding.
The biggest maintenance challenges depend on the time of year, Tolbert says. Standing water on the greens can be an issue, he says, but the crew can use blowers and squeegees to remove it. And in the winter, he notes, “Bermuda struggles when it gets really cold.”
He often bases his maintenance decisions on feel and experience, however. “I’m the guy that uses all my senses,” he says. “The grass will tell you what you want to know if you’re paying attention.
“I’m a very visual superintendent,” he adds. “There’s a little bit more art in what I do. I use science, but I use my eyes more than anything else. You need to be out there and observant of what’s going on.”
He also tries to give his crew members as much autonomy as possible. “I try to allow them to do the job how they want to do it,” he reports. “If I want something done a certain way, I tell them. If I just want the job accomplished, I try to empower the guys to figure out the best way to do it so they can be productive. They take ownership then.”
In addition, Tolbert takes the health and safety of the maintenance staff, which includes himself, two assistant superintendents, a mechanic, a spray technician, and crew members, just as seriously as the health of the turf. Through its ownership, Orangeburg CC has a safety coordina-
Course + Grounds Operations Profile
ORANGEBURG COUNTRY CLUB
Staff: 15 Other Manaagers: Richard Brown, Senior Assistant; Jason Smith, Assistant Superintendent; JR Rasmussen, Mechanic Irrigation System: Rain Bird Stratus 2; 860 heads Water Source and Usage: Well Equipment: Owns Toro equipment Technology: Frost GPS system on Toro 5800 and Multipro WM spayer Maintenance Facility: Star Building Systems buildings; chemical storage and mix station; dry fertilizer Aerating and Overseeding Schedules: Greens aeration – June, July; fairways, tees, and approaches aeration – July. No overseeding Duties and Responsibilities: Maintain 137-acre golf course, 8.5-acre driving range, 2.5-acre short-game area, and clubhouse grounds
tor who visits the property regularly for training. The staff goes over everything from heat-related issues to safe equipment operation.
‘HOME AWAY FROM HOME’
Other amenities at Orangeburg CC include an award-winning chef, four clay tennis courts, and a pool with a pavilion. But the coronavirus pandemic brought the significance of golf to the forefront.
When it hit, Lackey says, Tolbert’s position on the Board of Directors for the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association provied to be a valuable asset for the club. “He was the liaison to the property,” notes Lackey. “He knew exactly what was going on through the governor’s office and the legislation.”
Improved pace of play was another positive that came out of the pandemic, Lackey notes. “Play got faster and pace-of-play issues disappeared,” he says. “People like to play here because they can finish in under four hours. It’s something everybody talks about wanting to do; we actually do it.”
By offering pristine golf course conditions and exemplary service, the Orangeburg staff strives to make members and nonmembers alike feel welcome at the property. “For many of our members, this is a home away from home,” Lackey says. “We don’t have the ocean. We don’t have the mountains. But we’re a great stop in between.” C+RB
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LEADING THE WAY
The 2020 recipients of the Excellence In Club Management (ECM) Awards, established in 1997 by the McMahon Group and sponsored since 2005 by Club + Resort Business and since 2018 by the Nati onal Club Associati on (NCA), were announced through a special webcast on March 2nd. The webcast, sponsored exclusively by ForeTees, was conducted in an “Academy Award” format that included remarks from the award winners aft er they were announced. The full webcast can be viewed at htt ps://clubmanageraward.com/project/2020-excellence-in-club-management-awards-broadcast/
The annual ECM Awards are selected through nominati ons submitt ed on behalf of qualifi ed candidates by other parti es. With the excepti on of a special Lifeti me Achievement Award, each year’s recipients are selected solely on the basis of their achievements at the club they currently manage.
A Selecti on Committ ee comprised of a peer group of club managers conducts the judging for the ECM Awards; the McMahon Group, C+RB and the Nati onal Club Associati on are not involved with the selecti on of the winners.
The Selecti on Committ ee for the 2020 Awards was chaired by David Chag, CCM, former General Manager/Chief Operati ng Offi cer of The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. A full listi ng of judges, in additi on to informati on on past winners and on how to nominate candidates for 2021 awards, can be found at the special website for the ECM Awards, www. clubmanageraward.com
In additi on to this year’s special webcast, which substi tuted for the usual ECM Awards Dinner, individual presentati ons at the winners’ respecti ve clubs will be held when possible throughout 2020, and the 2020 winners will also be panelists at the NCA’s 17th Annual Nati onal Club Conference at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla., May 23-25.
In-depth profi les detailing the achievements that led to the selecti on of the winners will appear in issues of C+RB throughout the year.
WINNER:
THE JAMES H. BREWER AWARD
( Country/Golf Clubs with 600 or More Full-Privilege Members)
Jack Slaughter, CCM, CCE, ECM
General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Carolina Country Club, Raleigh, N.C.
The standard for excellence in club management is always higher in ti mes of challenge, and for David Duke, the President of Carolina Country Club (CCC) in 2019-20, Jack Slaughter not only rose to the occasion to help the club meet the challenges of the pandemic, but far surpassed what he had already been long respected for since coming to the club in 2007.
“While Jack has always served [CCC] as a consummate professional, his unparalleled skills in club management have never shone more brightly than by what he exhibited in response to the challenges occasioned by COVID-19,” Duke wrote in nominati ng Slaughter for ECM honors. “What I soon discovered in my role as President was the immense pride, joy and relief in working through the pandemic with the support and unwavering skills [that Jack] exhibited. He was a leader in every sense of the word. He calmly navigated the unchartered COVID waters and was instrumental in seeing [CCC] conti nue its commitment to excellence and enhancement of members’ experiences.”
WINNER:
THE MEAD GRADY AWARD
(Country/Golf Clubs with Fewer than 600 Full-Privilege Members)
Craig Cutler, CCM, ECM
General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Country Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.
Craig Cutler is now a rare “double winner” of Excellence in Club Management honors, having earned “Rising Star” recogniti on in 2008 while Assistant Manager of the Detroit Athleti c Club and working under Ted Gillary, who was honored with a Lifeti me Achievement Award through the 2019 ECM Awards. Cutler clearly learned his lessons from Gillary well and transferred them to help the Country Club of Detroit (CCD) make its own strides to greatness since becoming its GM/COO in 2013.
“Under [Craig’s] leadership, our club has chosen to lead and invest in our future despite economic freefalls in the Detroit and nati onal economy,” wrote CCD President George J. Baer, III in nominati ng Cutler for ECM recogniti on. And when 2020 presented its own “unique challenges,” Baer added, “Craig’s steady hand [and] forward and innovati ve thinking helped us deliver high-level service to our members while maintaining a steady and positi ve cash fl ow. This is truly remarkable.”
WINNER:
THE MEL REX AWARD
(City, Athletic or Specialty/Non-Golf Club)
Lawrence McFadden, CMC, ECM
General Manager/Chief Operating Officer The Union Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
Lawrence McFadden is the fi rst Certi fi ed Master Chef to have earned Excellence in Club Management recogniti on. Being a CMC is disti ncti ve in its own right, with fewer than 75 holding that status in the U.S. (The Union Club has even greater disti ncti on by having two CMCs, including Executi ve Chef Arnaud Berthelier.)
McFadden’s career path and achievements in club management are equally impressive. Before becoming The Union Club’s GM/COO in 2015, he held chef and management positi ons for top properti es and organizati ons throughout the U.S. and the world, including The Greenbrier resort, Interconti nental and Waldorf-Astoria hotels, Ritz-Carlton and MGM. At The Union Club, he directed change that led the club to surpass the 1,000-member mark for the fi rst ti me in 10 years, and (not surprisingly) have annual double-digit growth in food-andbeverage revenues. “Lawrence had a vision of where he wanted to take the club from day one,” said Randall McShephard, who chaired the search committ ee that brought him to Cleveland. “[He’s] the epitome of a consummate professional.”
WINNER:
THE JOHN FURLONG AWARD
Excellence in Management of a Club Property in Canada)
Bill Morari, ECM
General Manager/Chief Operating Officer The National Club, Toronto, Ont.
The Nati onal Club is one of Toronto’s most disti nguished insti tuti ons, founded in 1874 and now occupying a clubhouse bulit in 1907 that is a designated historic site. Within the club, Bill Morari has become an insti tuti on himself, as its GM/COO for 24 years and Assistant GM for 16 years before that.
A key to Morari’s longevity and eff ecti veness, wrote President Michael Dignam in nominati ng him for The John Furlong Award, has been how he has “[respected] the club’s rich heritage, but at the same ti me been a leader to make certain our club remains relevant in today’s ever-changing world.” That ability proved especially valuable when directi ng The Nati onal Club’s response to the pandemic, Dignam added. “Bill and his team have been leaders in creating a new playbook for the way we do business,” he said. “We have truly created a ‘safe haven’ where our members feel comfortable coming to the club [as] their home-away-fromhome sanctuary.”
WINNER:
THE 2020 RISING STAR AWARD
Kris Glaubitz, CCM, ECM
Director of Food and Beverage Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Md.
Kris Glaubitz has only been at Congressional CC since 2019, but he and Congressional’s Chief Executi ve Offi cer, Jeff rey Kreafl e, have had a mentorship relati on since 2013. The familiarity and trust gained from that relati onship proved especially valuable, Kreafl e said, when he looked to marshal Congressional’s response to the challenges brought by the pandemic.
“Kris had the mindset to take ownership of how he and his team could best support the club and our team members,” Kreafl e said in nominati ng Glaubitz for Rising Star recogniti on. “[The food-and-beverage team] moved quickly to adapt their operati on to produce a safe environment by adhering to CDC guidelines, while also providing as much service to our members as possible.
“Since arriving at Congressional, Kris has embraced our culture and commitment to excellence,” Kreafl e added. “His humble leadership style and strong desire to make a positi ve impact on the lives of our membership and team members has been noti ced and well-received.”
WINNER:
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Martin Ryan
General Manager Emeritus Wellesley Country Club, Wellesley, Mass.
Marty Ryan’s career includes many touchpoints with legendary names in golf. The golf course at Wellesley CC, where he was General Manager from 1992 unti l his recent reti rement, includes design infl uences from Donald Ross and Geoff rey Cornish. Ryan’s fi rst club-management positi on was at Montclair (N.J.) Golf Club, the home course of Robert Trent Jones and his son Rees Jones.
Yet if Ryan now plays golf in his reti rement, it will be the fi rst round he’s ever played in his life. That didn’t prevent him, however, from establishing his own legend in the club industry and at 111-year-old Wellesley CC, which hosted the 2016 Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, the 2010 Massachusett s Open, and many other USGA and state-level tournaments under his directi on. Ryan also directed the buildup to Wellesley CC’s centennial that included opening a new 53,825-sq. ft . clubhouse. As part of the centennial observati on, a ti me capsule was prepared that will not be opened unti l 2060—and when that ti me comes, more of Ryan’s infl uence and legacy is sure to be evident.
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IDEAEXCHANGE
A NEW TWIST ON A “SNOW DAY”
By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor
FOR MANY PEOPLE, a snow day is the perfect reason to pull out their skis or snowboards or sleds. At Mount Vernon Canyon Club in Golden, Colo., a snow day means something else – namely, “Snow-ga Yoga.”
Like many activities developed at club properties across the country in the past year, Snow-ga Yoga was born out of necessity, to combat the limitations imposed by COVID-19 guidelines.
“I had to stop classes indoors, because of cautions over how many people we could have together,” says Lili Bell Shelton, Wellness and Fitness Director.
She started researching the possibilities for outdoor “snow-ga” and discussed the concept with the club’s yoga instructor. Naturally, the instructor was game—with a few modifications, of course.
“She knew that she would have to allow her class to do more standing movements— and more movement in general—instead of holding still in the snow,” Shelton says.
After all, because Mount Vernon had already had outdoor yoga with goats in the summertime, along with sunset and moonlight yoga, a few snowflakes weren’t about to stop it from carrying on with classes in the winter. In fact, the white stuff just added to the fun.
Shelton scheduled six Snow-ga Yoga classes this winter, starting in January, even when sometimes the snow (or lack thereof) was a technicality. The second class was on a nice day with no snow, and the third class was actually the first one that took place in the snow, on the last Sunday in February.
Snow or no snow, the temperature was in the 20s for a couple of the classes, but at least they were on sunny days.
The classes lasted 50 minutes and were held between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month.
With more than 100 acres, Mount Vernon’s property has plenty of room for socially distanced yoga. The participants bring their own mats and have to be at least six feet apart. Masks are optional. The classes are held on a flat area near the tennis courts, where ample parking is available.
In addition, Shelton says, “We can access the tennis house for the restroom and to serve hot tea afterward.”
The classes can accommodate up to 20 people, but have averaged 15. Participants have to sign up in advance, and the class is open only to club members. Unfortunately, COVID restrictions prohibit drop-ins or guests from being able to join the fun. Mount Vernon does not charge for the classes, and most of the class members are between 35 and 60 years old.
“If the snow is deep, the yogis have a challenge to stay balanced, or they will fall over in the snow,” says Shelton. “Standing poses are the best. One class ended with the ‘corpse pose,’ and then everyone made snow angels.”
Of course, she adds, there have been times when some people have just liked to fall down in the snow.
Holding “Snow-ga Yoga” classes outdoors required emphasizing more standing movements—and more movement in general.
The instructor uses the vinyasa method, which has more body movement, in the classes. Vinyasa yoga is sometimes referred to as flow yoga, because students flow quickly from pose to pose. Each movement also corresponds to an inhalation or exhalation.
Vinyasa classes can be challenging because participants have to keep up the pace to match the breath and to move gracefully between the poses. The transitions are just as important as the poses themselves, and people can easily work up a sweat in these classes.
The poses in the Snow-ga Yoga classes are geared toward the muscle groups that are used for skiing: think warrior pose or chair pose.
“Those are all great for winter sports,” says Shelton. “A lot of people want to be in shape for skiing or snowshoeing or hiking. I think people that do sports outside appreciate stretching outside, too.”
The yogis dress for the snow-ga classes as if they’re going skiing.
“If you’re dressed well with good layers, it can be really fun and healthy to get outside in the winter,” Shelton says. “When you’re moving and exercising, it can get warm. That’s a nice feeling. I think people need to get outside in the cold and in the winter.”
Mount Vernon will continue to hold all of its yoga and fitness classes outside until COVID guidelines are lifted, she notes. Another bonus of the outdoor classes is that the participants can see animals such as horses, elk and deer.
“People ask for the class. They love being outside,” Shelton says. “After the isolation that we have experienced with COVID, it’s been so nice to see people—even if they’re 10 feet away from you.
“We have also been doing some classes on Zoom three times a week, but some people don’t like it,” she adds. “They really want to have that connection with their yoga friends.”
