The Big Chill

 

 

 

Yesterday morning, January 19th, we experienced our first frost in quite some time.  As a result, we had to delay tee times for 30 minutes to give us a chance to expedite the melting process.  A simply explanation of frost is "frozen dew".  When frost is present the leaf blade becomes very brittle.  Any traffic, cart or foot, can cause severe damage to the turf. 

 

 Once the temperature rises, our staff will irrigate the affected areas to accelerate the dissipation of the frost.  I want to thank the Pro Shop staff for their cooperation and communication during this time.  Most importantly, I want to thank those members that played on Sunday, for their patience and understanding. 

 

In the coming days, the areas that had frost will begin to lose color.  Many of these spots will form "tiger stripes".  This pattern of color loss is the result of the growth habit of our Bermuda grass and how the frost is formed.  This color loss is not an indication of the health of the grass.  As the soil temperatures rise our color will quickly return.   

 

We very rarely reach complete dormancy with our turf.  However, our growth rate has slowed considerably.  The result of this is firmer faster playing conditions.  Great for greens, not so good for turf recovery.  Ball marks and divots will need extra attention during this time.  Thank you, again for all your support.