Thursday, November 03, 2011
It is the time of the year for early morning frost. When the temperatures dip into the 30's we are prone to frost. Frost (frozen water in and on the plant) settles on the taller grasses first as they are more exposed and the leaf moisture is further from ground (air cools faster than soil.) Tighter surfaces such as greens, tees and fairways stay insulated a little longer by the soil. Once temperatures get into the low 30's we will see frost on these areas as well. As long as the greens do not have frost on them, frost should not delay play. Carts are restricted to the path until the frost thaws in order to prevent damage.
Here are two blog posts from last year regarding frost.
USGA Turf Twisters
The Four Letter words of Golf: Frost Delays and Cart Path Restrictions
The new bridge from 16 green to the tees at 17 was completed last week and has been well received so far. We look to have a few showers tonight and into tomorrow morning. These showers are always a nuisance but they lead to other issues. With any sloped walkways like the area leading to the bridge or wooden surfaces/bridges, please watch your footing when walking. We will be improving the walk ways to this bridge next year when we can plant actively growing TifSport bermudagrass sod.
Stan Zontek, our USGA agronomist, dropped in today and was very pleased with the putting surfaces. The turf is holding up well to play and the membership is doing a great job fixing ball marks. Thank you and have a great weekend.
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| Cart damage from driving on frost covered turf. When the water inside of the plant is frozen, cart and/or foot traffic can literally shatter the leaf blade. |
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| You can already tell that the taller bermuda is going dormant (turning off color.) The frost has been heavier in the rough so far and has led to the rapid change of color from vibrant green to a khaki/green blend. |
