Looks like the snow will be leaving us!

Well.....temperatures look promising for the remaining snow to melt. Forecasters are calling for temperatures in the 40's which will surely allow the snow to melt and golf to return. Don't wait too long to get out, snow is forecasted for Sunday! Since we have had temperatures barely reaching 30 degrees over the last several weeks, we have had a hard freeze. We needed it bad!! We haven't had a winter like this in 5 or so years. This hard freeze helps reduce Poa annua populations, reduce some of our insect levels and fungal spores that will survive those mild winters.

When the temperature begins to rise, the ground will begin to thaw and we must protect it. To hep mitigate any damage from play over the next few days, we will be topdressing the greens. This will help with ball mark and foot traffic. One of the biggest concerns for a Superintendent during a thaw after a hard freeze is root shear. When the top part of the rhizosphere or soil begins to thaw, this portion can shift over the deeper frozen layer. When these two surfaces, which contain our ever important root system, shift over one another, root shearing will occur. If we experience excessive shearing, the grass will die. To help with this situation, along with the topdressing, we will be holding off play like a frost delay to allow greens to thaw deeper. It is vital to protect the turf over the winter. Our greens are extremely vulnerable this time of year because it is dormant and not growing. Any damage is irreversible and will cause issues when trying to push green speeds in the spring and summer. This is the reason many private courses will utilize temp greens over the winter. Since we will not be utilizing temp greens, we must take other precautions, like those listed above to protect our most important asset.