One Last Snowfall......Maybe?

After what has been a winter for the record books could we be seeing our last snow event?  The winter of 2014 provided record breaking snow accumulations and low temperatures.  The question being asked by many right now is, "How did the course fair through the winter?" 

It is a little early to fully assess how the turf did over the winter but preliminary observations are relatively good.  We know there are some low areas on the course that were under ice for most of the winter and that is where our concerns are focused.  Bentgrass has exceptional cold tolerance and we are fortunate to have bentgrass as our predominant grass type on our playing surfaces.  Our roughs are bluegrass and it also has good cold tolerance. 

The issues that are created when a turf plant is exposed to the type of winter we had this year can be devastating.  Dr. Kevin Frank, Turfgrass Extension Specialist with Michigan State University, reports the following,"Winterkill is a general term that is used to define turf loss during the winter. Winterkill can be caused by a combination of factors including crown hydration, desiccation, low temperatures, ice sheets and snow mold. Because of the unpredictability of environmental factors and differences in other factors such as surface drainage, the occurrence of winterkill on golf courses is variable and can vary greatly between golf courses and even across the same course." 

Over the last few weeks we have been scouting the course looking for this type of damage.  We can see a few areas where the turf appears to be damaged but until warmer temperatures arrive we can only speculate as to whether or not there is any winterkill.  Many areas are showing some very slight "green up" which is a good sign that the turf is fine. 


Could this be the last snow event of the year?  It is March 25th!!

Being one of the coldest winters on record we had a frost line that was almost 2 feet in depth.  Typically we would see frozen soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches and in many years even less.  How does this effect the course?  As the soil thaws the moisture that is created makes a very soft surface.  We are currently thawed down to around 12-14 inches which leaves another foot to thaw.  As temperatures rise and some warmer rains fall the last foot of frost will thaw but surface conditions can still be very soft during this process.  Once again Mother Nature is the one in control.  When conditions improve we will get golfers out as soon as possible.  Initially walking and then the carts will come.

So, dust off the clubs and take a swing or two to work out the cob webs.  The season will get here sooner or later. Let's just hope it is sooner rather than later!!