The warm weather over the weekend resulted in a green up of the property. It also allowed us to further evaluate the condition of the greens that were damaged over the winter. Unfortunately, the results were not what we were hoping for. Many of you had the opportunity to see the damage for the first time this weekend. I fielded many of questions about the condition of the greens.
The warm temperatures have also allowed us to begin the recovery process. All the damaged areas are being seeded and fertilized today. The irrigation system is being pressurized today to allow us to keep the seed moist for proper germination. We will continue to utilize the covers during cold nights and cooler days. This will assist us in keeping soil temperatures up to allow for seed germination. Once seed begins to emerge it is imperative that we keep traffic to a minimum to allow the areas to fill in...This is why certain holes need to be closed for a few more weeks so we can be in top shape for the season.
Many of the questions that I answered this weekend had to do with the covers. Our covers are made of a permeable material. The permeable material allows the greens to breath during the winter months. The covers are intended to protect the greens from extreme wind and extreme cold temperatures. Covers do not protect greens from ice damage. Which is what happened this season. Our Poa Annua greens are very susceptible to ice damage. The contours in our greens are an architectural masterpiece. They do have their issues when it comes to the agronomics of growing grass. During the summer months many of the low-lying areas in our greens held water. This is why we installed drainage in all the greens during the Fall of 2009. The drainage has worked effectively in removing water from our green during the season. However, once the ground freezes during the winter this water sits in the low lying areas of our greens and freezes. Around the 20th of February this winter we experienced a couple of warm days followed by a significant amount of rain. This moisture went to the bottom of the snow pack and froze. We started removing snow and ice from the greens the second week of March. Several low areas had up to 6" of ice accumulation.
We realize that this is a major inconvenience to the start of the 2014 season. This is not the first time this has occurred and we always seem to weather the storm and manage to get through it. Darin Bevard our USGA Agronomist will be on property later in the week to provide us some insight on what he is seeing during his visits this Spring. I will forward the membership Darin's comments about the visit and report on our progress consistently until our greens have completely healed.
Gregory Boring,
Golf Course Superintendent
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