Last night it dipped down to 31 degrees, for our first killing frost of the season. Killing frosts will kill off the heartiest “annual” vegetation, but will also start an important process for all perennial plants as well. “Hardening-off” is a crucial step for plants to start the winter-dormancy process. Without that step, plants can become tricked into not preparing, physiologically, for the onset of winter. We want the turf as hardened off as possible for the best success to survive our winter season.
Below is a nice link from the USGA on frosts:
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2018/01/5-things-to-know–frost-delays.html
This frost delay will be a lengthy one, so please check in with the golf shop for updates. The night time lows for tonight and Saturday night could potentially pose the same risk for weekend play, so please be prepared.
We will be clearing leaves from the playing surfaces once the frost lifts this morning, as the delay will have an impact on what we can accomplish maintenance-wise.
Thank you for the patience,
Mike Manthey
