Many parts of the Northeast have seen record-setting snow this winter, and there is still time for more snow before winter is over! Some courses may have snow on the ground through March or later depending on what winter has left in store.

If all this snow lingers on the ground, the window to complete projects or general cleanup and maintenance before courses expect to get busy in April is going to be tight. There is nothing that I can say to alleviate this, but it is important to know that your course might not be as polished this spring as you or your golfers are used to.

It also means maintenance crews could be out completing projects later into the spring than normal. Superintendents in many parts of the Northeast have been unable to get much done on the course this winter due to all the snow. Whether it’s cleanup work, tree removal, or trying to finish projects that started last fall, it won’t be until the snow finally melts that staff can fully access the course and get back to work.

Exercising patience will be key for everyone this spring. Not only could there be some inconvenience with unfinished projects or tree debris that needs to be cleaned up, it may take extra time for the course to look and play like golfers expect because of soggy conditions from all the melted snow, slow turf growth and cool weather. This is just the nature of the beast when it comes to spring golf in the Northeast.

Northeast Region Agronomists:

Darin Bevard, senior director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org

Elliott L. Dowling, regional director, East Region – edowling@usga.org

Brian Gietka, agronomist – bgietka@usga.org

Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service

Contact the Green Section Staff