Should We Do
It?
FEBRUARY
16, 2018
By Elliott Dowling,
agronomist, Northeast Region
Excitement for the upcoming golf season begins to build during late
winter. While some golf facilities in the Northeast close for winter, others
continue to allow play depending on the weather. When the weather is favorable,
allowing play usually is a fairly simple decision. However, the decision
becomes much more difficult when the weather fluctuates between extremes. Mild
and sunny days in February and March might be enticing to golfers, but lasting
turfgrass damage can result when winter play is allowed under the wrong
conditions.
Playing golf during highly variable winter
weather can result in turf damage. During late winter, cold snaps often follow
periods of warm temperatures. Under these conditions, turf is extremely
vulnerable to injury from traffic. Play during a sudden thaw can be especially
damaging because the upper 1 or 2 inches of soil can defrost while the
underlying soil remains frozen. Traffic under these conditions can shear turf
roots at the interface between the thawed and frozen layers. Such shearing can
compromise turf health come spring.
Frozen soils also cannot drain. When
precipitation occurs, the surface of frozen soils will remain saturated and
prone to injury. Soils also dry slowly during late winter due to short day
length and cool temperatures, so even unfrozen soils will be slow to dry and
firm up after precipitation. Soft surfaces are more vulnerable to damage from
foot traffic, ball marks, rutting and compaction.
It is important to remember, no matter how
thawed or frozen the soil is, turf is unlikely to be growing during winter.
Grass that isn’t growing cannot recover from damage until spring. Therefore,
turf damage that occurs during winter can have a cumulative effect that lasts
until warm weather arrives and the grass is able to recover.
Before allowing winter play ask, what is the
purpose of winter play? All golf
facilities welcome additional rounds, but sometimes allowing play during winter
presents more costs than benefits. Keep in mind that winter play under the
wrong conditions may result in a net loss due to the expense of repairs or slow
spring greenup.