Just when we thought Spring was upon us, Winter decided it’s not ready to let go of us quite yet. We were scheduled to open the golf course tomorrow, but with the 3″ of snow we received Monday morning, and the forecasted 1-2″ of snow tonight, opening day will obviously be delayed. We will make a decision on opening the golf course after we see what tonight’s weather brings us as well as the extended forecast. Stay patient as we are only days away from starting the 2015 golf season!
As far as what this recent snow does for the golf course, specifically the turf, there are no negative effects. 
The golf course was becoming fairly dry, especially high and exposed areas of tees and fairways because of the lack of snow this winter. Those areas were in need of water in the near future. No damaging ice is expected to form and this snow will eventually melt and get into the ground because the frost is out of the top 8″ of the ground. This snow will actually buy us a little bit time until we are able to charge the irrigation system. We won’t be able to charge the system until all of the frost is out of the ground. Stagnant water in the PVC pipes overnight could freeze when it’s surrounded by frost. The same goes for the on-course bathrooms. They may not be open by the time the golf course opens as their water lines are even more susceptible to freezing.
We were able to uncover all of the greens last week and they look fantastic! We use a combination of Winter covers depending on the subsurface drainage of the greens as well as their individual microclimate/exposure to the elements. Both types of covers performed exactly like we had hoped. What you’ll see (eventually) when the golf course opens is a color variation between greens. This is due to the type of Winter cover used and if the green had consistent snow cover throughout the Winter months. In time, each green will look exactly the same when the soil temperatures rise. The pictures below of #3&4 green show the difference in color you can expect to see. (Yes that’s Sam taking a nap on the 3rd green after a long day of uncovering).
March is usually the second snowiest month of the year so this weather shouldn’t be a big surprise. However, with the quick warm up and the forecasted weather as of last week, it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach this short set back of opening the golf course. We will monitor the course, the snowmelt, as well as the forecast daily, and make an announcement on the “next” opening of the golf course shortly. Thanks for staying patient!
