The 2013 Golf Season Ends At The Royal Mayfair

The sudden, overnight change in the weather has closed the course for the year. We had intended to remain open until the end of the month but with snow and rapidly falling temperatures the above decision was fairly straight forward. Yes the snow may melt but it'll be well below zero for the next few nights and the ground will begin to freeze solid, especially in the first few inches.  I've mentioned before about turf damage in the late fall not recovering until next May. Now is not the time to squeeze in a couple of extra days of golf. Now is the time to stop play and allow the course to move into winter without any additional stress added to the system.

This now leads to my next discussion. Some members have talked to me about how many years ago they used to play into November on frozen ground. They couldn't get a tee in the turf and drives would roll down the fairway as if it were a parking lot. Next spring there didn't appear to be any problem. I personally can't speak to that but I do know that golfers expectations have changed over the last 30 years. Long gone are the days of always opening on temporary greens and accepting less than ideal conditions until June. Golfers (and superintendents for that matter) want great conditions right out of the gate. We all publicize and thirst for information as to how the courses overwintered as soon as the snow melts. In addition to preparing for winter that is why throughout most of Alberta, closures usually occur a week or two before the end of the month: to help increase the odds of good spring conditions.

At The Royal Mayfair we have decided to extend play well into late October as long as I feel the course can sustain the pressure. Up until Saturday I was satisfied with that philosophy. The weather was pleasant, the final fungicide applications were complete, the turf is in good shape and the root zone wasn't frozen. However, change is upon us and it's the right time to close the course.

Now we will remove all the golf course accessories, rope off greens that cross country skiers won't stay off of and eventually cover the 6th green. On a side note we are already registering for turf conferences occurring in early 2104 and discussing plans for next summer. More on that later.

In closing I want you to know that this past summer has been the most rewarding year of my career. I am very proud of all we achieved at The Royal Mayfair Golf Club and I hope you are too.


Wade