We just came in from slogging
around in the slush outside and decided that a Reserve Reminder article was in order. We have been blessed with some great weather
this winter, but have also seen some conditions that would only make a penguin
happy! We have been completely closed or
intermittently closed most of the past week and we figure the golf shop has
been fielding a lot of calls regarding golf course playability. We thought this would be a good opportunity
to discuss some of the factors that determine whether the golf courses will
open for play.
As we’ve stated all along, the
long-term health and playability of the golf courses is the most important
element of our decision making. As I’m
sure you all know; no two days on the golf course are alike. Some days a hard, heavy frost will break
quickly, while other days we can arrive at the golf course, get the crew going,
and then have frost stop us in our tracks.
These variances in weather patterns can also lead to some confusion
regarding the playability of the courses.
For example, two days may be identical as far as temperature and
humidity, but have two entirely different impacts on the golf course. I’ve spent many hours trying to determine why
the results vary and have only decided that Mother Nature is fickle!
With all the subtle differences
aside, ultimately, we must determine whether golfer and/or maintenance traffic
will create negative impacts on the courses.
The main area of our focus is obviously our putting surfaces. We are conservative with our decision making
when there is potential for damage on the greens. We feel that this preemptive approach has
helped create the wonderful putting surfaces we’ve experienced this
season. We’d like to address just a
couple situations that keep the golf courses closed when some feel they should
be available.
The worst scenario from our
standpoint is when the greens are frozen solid in the morning, but begin to
thaw out throughout the day. When the
roots are frozen, but the top of the plant is thawed out, it creates an
opportunity for the leaf blades and thatch to slip under foot, which in turn,
causes “root shear.” Another similar
scenario is when we receive rain after a freeze event. This situation creates a “bath tub effect,”
where the ground is frozen and the rainfall accumulates on the surface until it
has the chance to thaw the soil profile and percolate through the greens. This phenomenon also creates traffic damage
due to the excessive moisture in the soil profile.
As stated earlier, we want to
provide excellent course conditions throughout the entire year. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices in the
short-term to ensure long-term plant health.
As always, if this email has created any questions or comments, please
don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank You,
Mike Turner, Director of Agronomy
