Extreme cold

     We have had it all this winter.  Lots of snow, rain and bitter cold.  As I am writing this blog post it is -3 degrees.  The high today will be around 8 degrees.  The good news it will be near 60 degrees this weekend.  The bad news is the green might not be thawed down to 2 inches.  I am optimistic if the course is not open Saturday it should be open by Sunday.  Playing on thawing greens can cause root shear.  Root shear is the sharing off of the Bentgrass root system at the freeze line.  I feel if root shearing occurs at 2 inches plus we can overcome the damage before summer.  If we allow play on the greens with less than 2 inches of thawing it is very difficult to grow the roots back to proper depth for summer.  With roots at very dangerous short length we could lose some turf  this winter from Winter Desiccation.  It is very important we protect our greens from any damage. Not all of our greens thaw equally.  The greens that get the most sunlight will be the first ones to thaw.  # 7 and 18 greens will be the last ones to thaw because they are push up greens. Below is diagram on the sudden thaw dynamics.  Please call Pro Shop before you come out.  We will be monitoring the greens and when all greens are thawed down to the 2 inch level the course will be open.