TOO HOT TO HANDLE


TOO HOT TO HANDLE

Reprinted from Golf Journal.
October 1999 Vol LII (8): 53

For those facing the chilly prospects of another snowy winter, late autumn might not seem a time when temperatures could heat up. Yet that's the case when golfers, course officials and course maintenance personnel discuss a sometimes contentious issue: winter play on greens.

Few subjects raise as emotional a response from superintendents, who wish to protect the course during its dormant months, and golfers, who view winter as another phase of the playing season and resent restrictions on their pastime. Who's right? As with many topics, qualifications must be attached to the answer. It is safe to say, however, that winter play does the greens no good and in only the rarest circumstances can it avoid having a negative impact on the health and playability of the turf during the following season.

A golfer escaping for a late-season round would not dare face chilling temperatures in shirtsleeves, but would bundle up in several layers and know the location of the nearest coffee pot. By contrast, the turf has little protection. Cold weather halts turf growth, bringing the potential for significantly greater wear injury; during the growing season , the turf continuously replaces leaf and stem damage caused by foot and vehicular traffic. Then there is soil compaction: Soil moisture generally remains high throughout the winter, and traffic on saturated soil has a profound effect on soil density and turf roots.

With the loss of turf density from direct wear injury, and the loss of turf vigor caused by soil compaction, greens played during the winter tend to be hard, slow and bumpy for some time after spring arrives. Bumpiness is caused by footprints of winter players; players in the spring then tend to complain about the lack of trueness, even after several topdressings. In addition, weeds of various types are much more likely to invade turf that has received winter play.

Skeptics say it is the superintendent's job to mitigate these problems, or they voice doubts about how much damage can be wrought by a few golfers during the winter. On the surface, these comments may seem valid, but in the end it's all a matter of degrees. Each course must consider a variety of factors to determine whether winter play should be allowed. They include:
  • Grass species. If you're trying to grow bentgrass on greens, winter play will encourage the invasion of Poa annua.
  • Anticipated traffic. Volume is a critical factor. Damage is directly proportional to the rounds played.
  • Soil type. Do you have sand-based or old, soil-based greens? Sand-based greens drain better when the ground is not frozen, but the turf can suffer greater injury.
  • Weather. What's it like on the day you play? Turf that is frozen early in the morning can soften on a sunny afternoon, increasing the damage to the soil and turf roots.
  • History of winter injury. If there is a history of ice or other damage, winter play will make it worse.
  • Golfer acceptance of needed maintenance practices. How well will golfers accept renovation work aeration, topdressing, overseeding - to repair damage done by winter play?
  • Recent stress problems. If the greens took a beating from heat, flood, disease or other problems during the summer, it is best to stay off during the winter.
  • Previous weed problems. If there has been a history of crabgrass, goosegrass, Poa annua (especially) or other weed problems on the greens, winter play will make it worse.
  • Tees. If the greens are shaded during the growing season, it is best to keep traffic off during the winter.
  • Standards for the regular season. If you want smooth, fast greens in the spring, skip the winter play.
If a course faces extreme damage to its greens from winter traffic, it can remain open for limited play. Some courses establish winter greens, temporary areas cut in the approach or rough near the regular greens. A few courses reverse their routings and play from green to tee, or establish cross-country holes that also take traffic away from high volume areas and greens.

Every course considering winter play should question whether or not it is worth the risk of damaging the greens and affecting playability for a significant portion of the regular season for the sake of a relatively small percentage of the its players. In the view of many turfgrass scientists, agronomists and course superintendents, it is not.

James Snow
The author in national director of the USGA's Green Section.