Golf Course Frost and Improvement Progress

October will be the driest month of the 95 that I have worked at Potowomut Golf Club. Our last significant rainfall event occurred on September 22nd when a half inch fell. We have pumped almost 3 millions of irrigation water since then bringing our 2013 output to over 16 million gallons. Unirrigated rough areas are dry and needing rain. Seed planted in the rough during the last five weeks still waits for moisture that will begin the germination process.

We've had frost delays late this month with an extremely heavy one Saturday morning when the temperature dropped to 30 degrees. When frosted turf is walked upon, death of turfgrass is the result. Running irrigation water does not work to melt frost as we have areas of the golf course untouched by irrigation, and hence prone to death by frosty footprints. Below is a short blurb on frost issues and golf written by USGA Agronomist Mr. Pat Gross:


"Many golfers in the US are hearing the familiar words “The golf course is temporarily closed until the frost melts”. It may sound hard to believe, but grass blades can crack and die when traffic is applied to frozen turf. A more serious concern is damage to the turfgrass crown (the base of the plant that produces new leaves), which kills the entire plant. All species of turf are sensitive to frost damage, including dormant bermudagrass, but the biggest concern is creeping bentgrass and Poa annua putting greens because there is very little leaf surface to protect the turfgrass crowns. The dead turf often persists for several weeks or months until warmer temperatures encourage active growth.
Unfortunately, the only things that will melt frost are sunlight and warmer temperatures, so golfers need to be patient and let Mother Nature do her work. The light application of water once temperatures are above 32°F can accelerate frost removal, but keep in mind that temperatures often dip for a brief period immediately after sunrise. Applying water at sunrise can backfire, causing even more frost that will take longer to melt. Watering shaded areas of the course to help melt the frost should be avoided because temperatures stay cooler for a longer period of time due to the shade. Some superintendents have experimented with darkening agents (charcoal or soot), wetting agents, fans, and a variety of other materials, but these end up causing a mess or more problems and do very little to help get golfers on the course sooner.
Here are a few tips that superintendents and course officials should consider when frost is a recurring issue during the winter. First, play should be delayed for at least 30 minutes after the frost melts to allow maintenance personnel to change holes, mow, and prepare the course for play. During this time, it is helpful to have two-way radios so the superintendent and his staff can communicate with the golf shop and keep everyone informed. Second, have an operational plan for scheduling golf play during periods of frost. In some cases, you may want to start play on the back nine if that section of the course tends to thaw faster, or some courses simply schedule a standard 10:00 a.m. shot-gun start during the winter when frost is a recurring problem. Third, you may wish to analyze areas of the course where frost persists and see if trees that are blocking morning sun can be pruned or removed to help melt the frost faster. Above all, it is important for golfers to be patient during frost delays. Although superintendents are very clever and resourceful professionals, there is little they can do make Mother Nature melt the frost any faster."


If anyone has any questions about frost and the turf damage it can cause, please send me an email at PatrickGertner@Potowomut.com.

The golf course continues to improve during fall. Fairway aeration was completed last week so our focus will shift to sodding poor areas on greens, bunker work and to work on restoring the front right of 16 green to how it was designed. Then of course, there are the leaves.

We are thrilled recent dry weather allowed us to aerate all fairways. Aeration is necessary to both remove thatch and to allow soils to breathe. We aerated using the closest spacing possible with our machine. It takes us a long time to aerate fairways when we perform the operation ourselves, but because of the close spacing we punch many more holes than a contractor. More holes means better quality fairways next summer.

Today, (Monday) we are sodding spots on the edges of 15 green. Later in the week, we will work on 6 green and the back of 16 green. Sod will root down and blend in well before next summer.

Because the three summer damaged greens (13, 15, 16) were not aerated in September, we will poke slim narrow holes using solid tines this week. These greens will be topdressed lightly when done. We expect little or no surface disruption to golfers. (These greens were skipped during September so we didn't pull tender, new bentgrass plants out of the ground.)

In a week or two, we will strip the 6th right greenside bunker's face of sod and re-sod with brand new turfgrass. We are excited to get this project done. Rhode Island's largest sod grower SodCo is providing the sod at no charge to Potowomut to enable us to try a tall fescue based sod to this area. Thanks to SodCo!!!

Tidbits.....Last week, I traveled to Bayport Long Island to pick up a used seeding machine to be used in 2014 and beyond....Because of extremely dry weather, we expect to continue to keep the irrigation system up and running well into November, potential irrigation shut down date is November 15....planning for 2014 has already begun....

Patrick Gertner CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent