MOWING

FIRST MOWING OF GREENS

Here we are with the first mowings of the season beginning on Hole #5. There has been no evidence of snowmold damage to the greens nor ice damage. Despite heavy snow levels this spring, the accumulation all winter was a great insulator for the greens.

WEATHER

IMPROVED WEATHER

Finally the temperatures are pushing near normal levels to help us move snow off the golf course. The temperatures, in addition to us snowblowing greens, tees and fairways, have accelerated the melt. With longer daylight hours this will aide in the snow melt and drying the course. This shot of #16 green shows how the green has wintered and began to warm up. With each day we see more portions of the golf course open up.

DRAINAGE

GREENS DRAINAGE

After we cleared #14 green of snow and allowed the remaining 4" of snow to melt away (see the photo of the green) we checked our repaired drainage system and were pleased to see the results. The green was already beginning to evacuate drainage water from the green that was collecting in the subsurface network and removed out the 4" drain tile exits. The photo below shows draining water icing up as it exits the pipe due the outside cooler temperatures. On this day, April 20th, the water was draining at a rate of .50 USGal/min or 2.0 Litres/min. The value of a properly installed drainge systems is put to the test not just in summer but also in spring and in fall. The last interesting note is the quality of the water moving out of drain exit, clean smelling with no anaerobic scent to it at all. All signs pointing towards clean air and water moving through the green as it was designed to do.

GREENS

CLEARED GREENS After clearing the greens and leaving a 3 - 4" snow layer behind, moderate temperatures are able to melt the snow clear of the surface. Here #1 green was revealed within days of clearing it. By placing the turf covers in position the previous fall, the green surface will begin to warm slowly as the days heat up and the sun begins to shine. Also, by putting the covers into place prior to winter, in the event we need to remove ice throughout the winter or spring, the covers provide a protective layer to help in that process. The covers create a good separation from the green turf blades to aide in the ice removal process via shattering it and pushing it off.

WEATHER

MORE SNOW

This past weekend we saw a storm bring 9-10" of fresh snow. On top of the vast amounts of snow we already have this newest snowfall dumped a large amount on greens we had already cleared. The 9" layer shown in the picture is on our practice green, so today we will clear the greens (with the tractor mounted snowblower) we had previously cleared to accelerate the melt. Greens that had fully cleared of ice and snow and are now soft and will see a natural melt as we won't put heavy equipment on them. If we were to not clear the greens this newest snow would be slow to melt and would only melt down to the snow and ice layer that was left behind the first clearing attempt. Just part of mountain golf life.

WEATHER

BLOWING SNOW OFF GREENS This week we began the process of clearing greens of snow. Temperatures have moved above +5C and night time temperatures are very moderate. This process involves using a snowblower to move the snow off the green surface. This particular year, with the vast amount of snow still present, requires more labor than in the past. Note in the photo breaking up the snow layers prior to the blower moving the snow. The snow depth shown here on #1 green varies from front to back, aproximately 30cm of snow on the green's front edge to 100-120cm along the back edge, evidence of snow drift throughout the winter. We blow the greens and leave a thin layer of snow behind to ensure a consistent melt and eliminate numerous freeze/thaw cycles which causes great stress to the turf. With the snow depths this season if we were not to help the snow along we would still have melting snow on the greens to the end of April.

WEATHER

TEMPERATURE SENSORS FOR GREENS

To monitor the greens during the winter months we utilize data loggers and temperature sensors to track detailed temperature conditions. The photo on the left depicts the data collected which shows the "blue" actual air temperature and the "brown" under the snow/turf cover temperature of the green. Note on November 15th the "brown" under snow temperature stabilized as evidenced by the first winter snowfall.

Throughout the winter, to date, we have seen actual air temperature lows of -34C and highs of +11C however the temperature under the covers and snow accumulation layer remains between -2C and -8C. It is always interesting how little the first snowfall can be, in this case 4", to create a proper insulating condition that protects the greens. Naturally, our total snowfall, >24" in most locations, stabilizes the temperatures through drastic freeze/thaw cycles in the middle of winter and spring. By tracking temperatures we are able to monitor green conditions accurately to determine if ice is forming (too warm) or if the green is susceptible to cold temperature kill (too cold). Click on the photo to see a larger picture of the graph.