A Rough Winter

The Winter was a rough one for the Old Course Greens at The Country Club of Scranton. We have sustained ice damage on seven of the greens on the Old Course. The fourteenth green, (pictured to the left) sustained the most damage. These greens have been spiked, seeded, fertilized, and heavily topdressed. The Green Department removed snow and ice on the greens several times throughout the winter to try and prevent this from occurring. We will keep these greens closed for a period of time to allow these areas to recover. We will be able to give the membership 18 holes to play for the foreseeable future. The closing of these greens will allow them to recover more quickly. The covers will remain on these greens to help increase the soil temperatures, which will result in faster recovery. We have battled ice damage in the past. The shapes and undulations on our greens allow water to sit on the surface throughout the winter. The internal drainage is not effective once the soil freezes. The covers are designed to prevent wind and cold temperature kill. Unfortunately they do not help prevent damage from ice accumulation. They will take some time to recover but we will keep the membership up to date with the progress on an ongoing basis. The Green Department is doing everything possible to aide in a quick and thorough recovery.