Tour Guide 2025: Dominion Energy Charity Classic

This week, Richmond’s Country Club of Virginia will host the Champions Tour’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic for the 10th consecutive year. As has been the case every year since 2016, director of golf and grounds management Christian Sain will encounter one key challenge above all others: Mother Nature
Although the tournament’s annual October or November timing is ideal for fans — the weather is much cooler while they walk around the James River Course (one of the club’s three 18-hole championship courses) — it’s far from idyllic for Sain and his agronomy team.

The primary reason? By mid-October, when the club will be hosting the tournament this year, the James River Course’s bermudagrass (on its fairways, rough and tee areas) stops growing due to cooler weather and shorter days.
“Since we’re in the lower part of the transition zone, we grow bermudagrass and zoysiagrass on most of our playing surfaces, along with bentgrass on our greens,” Sain says. “During most years, we’ve also had a light frost by the time the tournament has begun, which could have led to issues if we weren’t properly prepared.”
Autumn maintenance
A few years ago, the James River Course even had a hard frost during the tournament’s pro-am days, resulting in numerous delayed tee times. In addition to this potential for light to even hard frost, Sain and his team must overcome another critical issue annually: fallen leaves. He says this issue is solely dependent on recent weather conditions, particularly during the summer.
To ensure the course’s conditioning remains as impeccable as possible (and with as few leaves as possible), Sain and his team will remove all leaves with blowers and rakes early in the morning, prior to the beginning of each pro-am and round. Moreover, his team must exercise great caution to not damage the James River Course’s bermudagrass fairways, rough and tee areas before and during the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
“Since the bermudagrass is growing very little or not at all, any bermudagrass that’s scalped while mowing leading up to the tournament or during the week of the tournament itself won’t recover,” he says.
Thankfully, Sain has a large staff of agronomy professionals, along with some volunteers, who help him enhance the James River Course’s conditioning throughout the tournament. Plus, Sain also acquires support from agronomy staff members from The Country Club of Virginia’s two other 18-hole championship courses: Tuckahoe Creek and Westhampton.
“We’re able to use staff members and equipment from each of these courses to meet the James River Course’s maintenance needs throughout the Dominion Energy Charity Classic,” Sain says. “As a result, we can reduce the number of volunteers we need.”
In all, roughly 30 individuals volunteer to assist Sain every year during the tournament. Each volunteer offers support in the morning — some work every day of the tournament, while others only work for a couple mornings throughout the week.
“We usually just need help in the mornings from our volunteers,” he says. “Most volunteers are local, so they’re able to drive to the club from their homes whenever we need an extra hand.”
Future Focused
To ensure the Dominion Energy Charity Classic is successful yet again, Sain says that the James River Course is enhanced annually in various ways. In addition to the James River Course, The Country Club of Virginia’s two other courses are improved every year, too.
For instance, drainage is consistently upgraded, existing tee boxes are regularly enhanced and new tee boxes are built from time to time, while greens are expanded or re-grassed at times.
During the spring of 2024, every bunker was rebuilt on the James River Course as well, while some were also added or removed. Each new bunker — built by Jessup, Maryland’s McDonald and Sons Golf Course Builders, via course designer Andrew Green’s direction — reflects original course architect William Flynn’s vision.
“Because of their work, the Dominion Energy Charity Classic will continue to be a successful Champions Tour event,” Sain says. “But, above everything else, our hard-working staff members who dedicate several weeks to the tournament are the main reasons why it’s such a great event.”