Ice On Greens....A BIG Problem Over Winter!

The above pictures represent some of the practices we employ on the golf course to keep the grass alive through the winter.  Ice on greens for an extended period of time will cause certain death in the areas where the ice sits.  Often times in these locations, the sub-layer of soil is frozen, which doesn't allow the water to percolate through the soil in the winter.  What we end up with is the water pooling in the low areas on the greens and then freezing, essentially over time,  cutting of the oxygen to the grass plants.  The pictures above of the 6th green, show us actually aerating the ice to loosen it up so we can then shovel the ice off the greens. The area of the green where the ice was removed, was actually already starting to turn a little black, which is a sign of a lack of oxygen.  The greens are monitored closely through the winter months and what causes the ice formation is the fluctuating temps.  When we get any thaw, we are out there on the course proactively removing any ice that may form on the greens.  Here is an article on ice damage that is very informative...http://www.golfklubben.no/arkiv/2013/11/1384183240/winterkill.pdf

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Winter Shop Work Time.

With the onset of winter weather, we are hard into the inside shop work we accomplish on an annual basis. All blocks, hazard stakes and OB stakes get sanded and re-painted every year.  We work very hard to make everything that goes on the golf course look as professionally done as we possibly can.  We also go through all of the equipment such as the trailers we built last winter for our new greens mowers.  The trailers are being updated with different ways to make our job as efficient as we can depicted in the picture on top. All of the equipment gets tore down and serviced as well as any problems addressed during the winter months.  With a very busy 2014 season coming up, we leave no leaf unturned when it comes to getting the equipment dialed in.

Mike O'Neill, GCS