There have been enough warm days in most areas of the Northeast to perk the grass up – for the most part. Unfortunately, there are some courses that have winter injury on putting greens or fairways. The damage I have observed thus far ranges from ball-mark sized patches all the way up to half of an entire putting green.
Interestingly, the damage this year seems to be worse on exposed greens. This is true whether the greens are next to the ocean or on an inland course − those with open exposure to desiccating winds were more prone to injury. This isn’t always the case; winter injury can happen in many ways ranging from direct cold temperature exposure and anoxia to crown hydration and desiccation. This is another good reminder that there is no surefire way to prevent winter injury, just ways to reduce the likelihood or lessen the amount of damage and the associated costs.
If you find yourself in a situation where you must close a green this spring for recovery but the course is open and players want to play, a tried-and-true solution to keep the hole open is a temporary green. Simply mowing an area of fairway slightly lower than normal and painting a circular white line to mark the temporary green can lessen the blow to golfers that comes with having a green out of play. Even if you don’t expect many people to putt on the temporary green, it provides a nice target and adds some continuity to the round while a damaged green recovers.
Other strategies that can help expedite recovery from winter injury are hex plugs or cup cutter plugs to repair minor damage, or using sod or seed in larger areas. Either way, traffic will only slow recovery, potentially affecting summer conditions. It is better to adjust now, early in the season, to increase your chances of success when it matters most in summer.
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