By the end of this week, most golf facilities in the Transition Zone will have experienced their first frost of the year. With the first frost comes the official end of the growing season and the beginning of the long wait until spring. Golf course superintendents with ultradwarf bermudagrasses are now shifting into winter maintenance mode. For many that have recently converted putting greens to an ultradwarf, this will be their first or second winter with their new turf. Following are a few resources of interest to you.
For an overview of winter management of ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens, visit Ultradwarfs in the Offseason.
To review the process of covering and uncovering a putting green, see the video Covering and Uncovering a Putting Green.
To get the latest on expanding the boundaries of ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens, Dr. Mike Goatley, Patrick O’Brien and Chris Hartwiger will be teaching a seminar on February 5th at the 2013 Golf Industry Show in San Diego, Calif. Winter management topics will be reviewed thoroughly.
For those in the planning stage of converting to ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens in the summer of 2013, this winter is an ideal time to hit the road to see winter management strategies in person at other facilities that have already done so. We host an annual field trip to the Atlanta area to view ultradwarf putting greens in the winter and observe common maintenance practices such as covering, turf coloring, moisture management and more. Additionally, we conduct numerous on-site USGA Turfgrass Advisory Service visits during the winter to review the planning process. If we can be of service to your golf facility, do not hesitate to contact us.
Source: Patrick O’Brien (patobrien@usga.org) and Chris Hartwiger (chartwiger@usga.org)