Winter Weather

"I bet the record snow this winter is great for the golf course."

Golf course turf never benefits from winter weather but some winter conditions harm the turf more than others. This winter started off with below normal temperatures beginning in mid-October. For the next 4 months temperatures averaged 9° below normal daily highs. We have had nearly 70" of snow during the same period.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 

About the only Good we can take from this winter is the extreme cold temperatures. The cold froze the soil to a 24" to 30" depth. Deep freezing cause the soil to contract, expand and heave opening up fissures for air and water movement for healthy root growth. Extreme cold can also reduce the numbers of over-wintering larvae and grubs that cause harm to turf during the growing season.

Deep frost fractures and opens the soil just like solid tine aeration. This allows roots access to air, water and nutrients.

Extreme cold temperatures reduce populations of overwintering grubs and larvae.

The Bad. Much of the snowfall this winter has had low moisture content. Very high winds in December scoured the light and fluffy snow off the tops of bunker and green banks and many of the high spots on greens. The exposed turf was subjected to wind speeds of 40 + MPH and below zero temperatures. This combination can cause plant dessication. Turf that is exposed to these conditions for a long period of time will often die.

Turf on wind-swept mounds are exposed to this winter's extreme cold and drying winds. Some turf loss is possible.

Disease is also a concern this winter. Gray Snow Mold (Typhula: T. incarnata and T. ishikariensis) can occur when there is snow cover for at least 60 days. Pink Snow Mold (Michrodochium nivale) is more common and occurs as snow melts in the early spring. We applied a preventive treatment for snow mold in mid-November on greens and tees. It is likely there will be a snow mold outbreak on fairway turf. The good news is affected fairway turf will recover within 7 to 10 days once spring temperatures warm. 

Irregular shaped rings emerge as the snow melts. Pink Snow Mold often kills turf on green and tee surfaces. Fairway turf usually recovers quickly from Pink Snow Mold.

The Ugly. The greatest winter damage to the golf course playing surfaces comes from prolonged ice build-up. There have been 2 brief warm-ups this winter. Both warm periods came with heavy rain followed quickly with extreme cold. As a result, layers of ice formed in large patches on greens, tees and fairways. There are many areas where the ice is up to 3" thick. Thick ice can seal off the turf from the air above. Even during the winter, dormant turf contains decaying organic matter. The decaying process produces gasses which are toxic to the grass plants trapped under the ice. Large concentrations of gas can kill turf.

Layers of ice cover many sections of the golf course. This photo shows the back two thirds of 18 green encased in ice. Breaking up and removing the ice mechanically will certainly damage the turf so it is best to leave it alone. Although this situation looks troublesome, there are some cracks in the ice layer which may be large enough to let harmful gasses escape. This ice is opaque which is also a good sign. Clear ice acts like a greenhouse allowing more sunlight through which warms the underlying turf and increases gasses from decomposition. 

This winter is shaping up to be the coldest and snowiest of all time and reminds us that we have no control over Mother Nature. Whatever turf conditions exist in the Spring, we will get the golf course back in shape quickly for our golfing guests.