One year ago we seemed to be plowing the parking lot every other evening and I was getting the snowmobile stuck trying to groom cross country ski trails. This December we are dealing with a very unusual weather pattern and a diminishing snow cover. Since the Grey Cup weekend we have had 3 seperate evenings where high winds ushered in very warm temperatures. To add to our angst it has rained as well. Throughout the province and the Radium area of British Columbia golf courses are experiencing varying degrees of ice formation or exposure to wind and the potential for dessication. Here at the Royal Mayfair we have not lost our snow cover but it has been greatly reduced since our first and only major snowfall in mid November. I have checked several greens and have only found patchy ice cover in a few areas. Most spots we have checked you can scrape off the crusty snow down to the grass with the toe of our boots. I can only say that at this time I am cautiously optimistic. There will likely be some damage but as to where and to what extent it is impossible to say without clearing the critical snow cover off the greens and that is not an option. In fact just walking on them to check will probably leave ice cover under the footprints. I've seen ice from the coyotes walking across the greens already this winter.
I don't profess to know everything but my years in the industry and past experience with ice and turf damage have led me to conclude that extended periods of "less than desirable" overwinter conditions are something every golf course superintendent is going to contend with in our province. There are steps to mitigate the damage but none are completely successful and some have even led to more damage in the long run. This isn't anecdotal either. I've used aerators on ice, used black sand to accelerate radiant heating, tried alternative heat sources and even used calcium chloride. That didn't work so well if memory serves me right. Basically my point is: our climate conditions are not conducive to removing ice and water in a timely, efficient manner that will guarantee survival of the affected turf. What is important is the response required in the spring to get the course (we all know that the greens are the main point here) ready for the membership and that includes whatever steps are required to repair damaged turf. Hopefully it isn't much or any at all. We just won't know until late March.
I was going to explain the mechanisms of ice damage and the possibility of using greens covers (similar to the Glendale) in the future but I will leave that for a later post. In the meantime:
MERRY CHRISTMAS To You And Yours From The Turf Care Team at The Royal Mayfair Golf Course.
Wade
