The Superintendent at a local course my Dad and I golf at 8-10 times each year has a blog. I emailed him a couple of questions about getting the course ready for the Spring, should it even get here. Figured some of you might find this interesting. They are scheduled to open up mid-March, but who knows.
Quote:
February 17, 2014
26 days and counting.
I'm sitting in my office looking at the blizzard taking place outside my window and wondering...with the new 5"to 8" of predicted snow on top of the 24" already on the ground, how long is it going to take for all of that white stuff to melt and how in the world are we going to get this golf course open by March 15th? Earlier today, I also received an email from a blog reader, who requested that I write about the following:
1. After a brutal winter like this one, how do you get the course ready for play by mid-march?
2. What will need to be done this year as opposed to years with normal winters?
3. How deep is the frost layer in the soil?
I figure if one loyal reader has these questions, maybe my other loyal reader might have similar questions...so I will try to answer them in this blog post. First, the honest answer is that I don't really know, but based on a few years of experience, I can speculate.
1. Obviously, the possibility of getting the course ready for a mid-March opening will all depend on how soon the snow melts. In a similar winter in 1978/1979, (I might have been there to experience it or I might have been too young and just read about it.) the snow didn't melt until the third week in March. As of today, it almost seems to be impossible that the snow could melt anytime soon. I do know one thing from observing weather through the years...weather patterns can change quickly and a couple of 60 degree days or some warm rain would change things dramatically. If the snow does melt, it doesn't take long to get the course ready. As long as golfers can get out and play, early in the season they tend to be very forgiving and will ignore less than pristine conditions. If the snow doesn't melt, I will be in Wiley's Grill on the 15th drinking one of the new craft beers that are now on tap and talking about the good old days and the winter of 1978/1979.
2. I'm not sure whether or not we will have to do anything special to get the course ready this year. I do know that we will have a lot of clean-up from last November's wind storm that did significant tree damage. What we do to prep the course for opening will be determined by what we find when the snow melts. This job requires that you adjust to whatever Mother Nature throws your way. When we had the equally tough winter in 1978/1979 and there was a lot of snow-mold disease present after the thaw, many courses had to re-establish large areas turf through seeding. This year the grass was a little more dormant prior to the snow so maybe it won't be as big an issue. Either way, we'll find out soon. We spray preventative snow-mold fungicides on greens and tees, but due to costs and the fact that we don't often get severe winters, not fairways.
3. As far as the depth of frost in the ground…an interesting phenomenon occurs under snow. Even though the temperatures have averaged way below normal, and the ground was frozen prior to the snow, (I've been told to about 24"), snow insulates the soil from the cold temperatures above the snow and the freeze line tends to migrate up. Just like the thickness of the Owings Corning fiberglass in your attic, the deeper the snow, the better the insulation. My guess is, (I haven't gone out this year to check but I have many time in the past), that most of the frost is already out of the ground. This is not the case anywhere the snow has been removed like pavement where deep this year's deep freezing of soil has caused a lot of water main breaks.
4. Though it seems like we may never get out on the course, its not quite as bad as you think. A couple of 50 degree days strung together can instantly thaw and melt things enough to have the course relatively playable in a few days. If the snow, for the most part, can melt in the next 15-20 days, then we can absolutely have the course ready to go for our annual "St. Patrick's Day Opening Day" on Saturday, March 15.
Thanks to Frank for being a loyal reader, emailing the questions and for the inspiration for today's blog entry. Keep the cards, letters, phone calls, Facebook messages, tweets and emails coming.
_________________
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
It's more fun to be a victim
Caller Bob wrote:
There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.
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