As the weather has warmed for the last week, golf course superintendents aren’t as much enjoying the heat as hoping the sun will move some frozen water off their greens. The warm days were a bit of respite from the rest of the intense snow season in much of the U.S., but more ¬ and heavy ¬ snow will probably be on the way, according to Weather Works’ Frank Lombardo.
"This current warming in the east, will likely ease up next week with even some threats of snow from the northern Mid Atlantic northward," says the president and founder of Weather Works, based in Hackettstown, N.J. "However, the trend looks definably warmer mid west and east through the end of the month."
Lombardo says warming trends building up in Florida and the south will fight to regain some real estate in south through the rest of this month. Likewise, cold temperatures will return to the northern Rockies and even Pacific Northwest, of which some may leak into the Northern Plains.
"Late February -- and perhaps even into early March -- looks very transitional," Lombardo adds. "I do think the winter pattern will likely return to the Midwest and Northeast and especially Southeastern Canada from mid march to mid April. Perhaps not all snow, but plenty of it... and probably some mean storms as well with hefty snowfalls."
The season has kept superintendents busy, says Adam Moeller, agronomist for the USGA Northeast Region Green Section.
“It’s definitely been interesting,” says Moeller. “A lot of courses have been buried in snow off and on since Christmas. Some have had ice for 30 to 40 days.”
Though the snow and ice individually can damage greens, the shifting weather is what really poses a threat to winter-weakened turf. Though being buried in snow isn’t good for grass over a long time, it provides a blanket of protection from more dangerous layers of ice. An early melt means no snow to protect the turf.
“As winter progresses, it loses its hardiness,” says Moeller. “Without much snow, more storms could leave our turf vulnerable to ice. The freeze-thaws we get this time of year are the main killer of our greens.”
Superintendents have to take action to assist in keeping their greens alive, says Scott Verdun of Kenosha Country Club in Wis.
“Winter is supposed to be relaxing, but I don’t think there’s a been a week where I’ve been comfortable being away,” says Verdun. “I realized we had to be proactive here.
“The goal as of right now, where we know the snow is low, move it high so the sun can melt it off and it will either move through the profile or drain off. We’re just trying to minimize damage. My number one concern is any low-lying area to make sure ice doesn’t happen.”
Verdun digs channels on the green to help melting snow find its way off the turf, keeping water from pooling on the green and refreezing as the temperature shifts. He’s also making sure black sand is available to help deal with ice where it does happen, and has tried non-permeable covers on two greens where dense shade has caused heavy winter damage in the past.
Even a little bit of sunlight is key during the winter, says Moeller. Where sunlight is low, making sure the green has good positive surface drainage will help deal with snow and ice cover. Doing what you can to warm the soil, whether by covers or sand, can help as well.
