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By Laurence Gale MSc in Golf on 22nd Nov 2005 10:30
Frosty Golf
By Laurence Gale MSc
How many golf courses allow play on their greens during frosty conditions? Ideally none, however there are many golf clubs who unfortunately do. WHY?
There may be several reasons :-
- Player Pressure?
- No closed course policy?
- Have no temporary greens?
- Lack of understanding of what harm can occur to the turf from frost damage.
- Revenue Needs
Many club members expect to be able to play the greens all year round. Once they have booked a game, they expect to play whatever the weather. Many courses do not implement a closed course policy, or maybe just need to keep the course open for financial reasons.
Damage to the Greens
Turf is especially prone to damage when it is frozen or when the ground is thawing. Normal practice is for a course to remain closed until the ground has completely thawed, which often occurs by mid morning.
What happens to turf in frost conditions?
Frost on the grass leaf blades tells us that the water inside the leaves is frozen. Remember that 80+% of plant tissue is made up of water, the primary component of plant tissue. When this water is frozen, foot traffic on the turf causes the ice crystals in the cells to puncture through the plant's cell walls, thus killing plant tissue.
When they are frozen the leaves of the turf get easily bruised by player's feet. After thawing, the affected turf turns black or brown and becomes sparse. The turf can often remain thin for long periods if damage occurs early in the winter. The fine turf on greens becomes more susceptible to disease and the putting surface becomes very uneven.
More long-term damage can be caused when play takes place as the turf is thawing after a prolonged freeze. Under these conditions the top surface of the turf may be soft, but the underlying soil can still be frozen. Root damage occurs easily from a shearing action as player's feet move the soft top surface against the frozen sub soil.
The process of damage to the turf normally occurs in the following pattern:
- Bruising and damage to the leaf.
- Loss of turf colour.
- Severing of grass roots.
- Compaction of the soil.
- Thinning of the swards.
Each time you continue to allow play on frosty greens you continue to promote further turf decline. Low soil and air temperatures prevent turfgrass recovery.
However, many golf clubs do operate a favourable frost policy, whereby a number of contingencies are put in place to reduce frost damage on the course and allow golf to be played during frosty conditions, some of the methods used by clubs include:
- Many clubs are now using artificial winter tee mats, which are brought out for the winter period.
- Temporary green areas have been mown out and introduced for winter play.
- The course is inspected every morning by the greenkeeping staff who then make a judgement on whether the greens / or which greens are playable depending on the severity of the frost.
Often if the frost is a haw frost, it is likely that many of the greens will be playable by late morning once thawed. In most cases frost damage will not be noticeable until the spring when long term damage has already occurred. A poor thin sward, a heavy compacted green and a poor putting surface are all consequences of play being allowed on frosty courses.
The best policy is for a club to inform club members / players of the reasons why greens and courses must be closed during heavy frosts. Explaining these facts to the members and players will help them understand the longer term benefits of maintaining the sward quality of their greens.
What is your Golf Clubs policy on playing during Frost?
Please let us know with comments below, also why do Golf Clubs not use frost protection covers on their more exposed greens?
Read more articles in Golf,
by Laurence Gale MSc
or from November 2005.
There are 20 comments on this article
22 Nov 2005 by ajames31
our policy is any slight frost and we're off greens, at our course we are very lucky as we have full support of the powers that be in the clubhouse when it comes to moving on and off of temp greens, we keep a close eye on the greens and stay in touch with the clubhouse, it seems to keep them happy, however they will only push when conditions are changing and a match or comp is due to start. the only thing that i would like to see change is their thinking on buggies, they will not budge when it comes to banning buggies during frost, after 6 days of straight frosts our fairways, rough and some green surrounds look a complete mess, but at least the greens get a rest!
22 Nov 2005 by Paul lowe Last edited 25 Nov 2005
Once again an excellent article!
We are very lucky. In five years we have not been closed at all. We haven't had snow or frost. We don't have temps, we don't need them!
It's only been the last few days that we have suffered with frost. The last few mornings we have closed the course untill the frost clears, 9:30 ish
Its been a shock to the members, but most of them have been very understanding.
I will use this article to convince the rest!!!
Thanks!
22 Nov 2005 by Paul lowe
North Wales. In a valley!, The Vale Of Clwyd
I live in the Wirral. it's always a few degrees warmer in sunny Wales.
Never Stops Raining Though!!!
22 Nov 2005 by michael10owen
Interesting Paul
You don't seem to be in my members handbook in Wales or anywhere else? Must be a printing error!!!
Good Article and there is a healthy debate on the BIGGA website about policy during frosts.
22 Nov 2005 by Anonymous
Michael Owen's not in there either!
23 Nov 2005 by ismith
Its not just golf that suffers with the frost .
Lasts Weekend We fought with my school to push the kick off times back for the six mornings Rugby matches ,this after the three previous mornings were frosty and frost was forcast agian . It drives you mad when they dont listern because when the frost came trying to keep 200 boys off the frost waiting for it to come out of the ground is a little stressful !!!.
Its the same with the old boys club I had 400 mini rugby players all over the place on Sunday but because the ground was not hard underneath they play .The place is covered in little black footprints.
28 Nov 2005 by woodham
Great article! Gay Hill GC have a policy of removing the greens from play during any frost. They are not returned until a complete thaw. The problem is managing the inspections and returning the flags during weekend play if a thaw comes after staff have gone. There seems to be more clubs than ever that allow play on greens that have a deep frost. Then the policy seems to be to remove the flags once a thaw is in process is this monitored and is the policy due to pressure from committees! With improved drainage and management techniques these days there are fewer, if any, days of course closures of use of temporary greens due to wet conditions. Surely we have to concede defeat to the climate at certain times and rest our prized possessions.
28 Nov 2005 by Revet
At Ganton (North Yorkshire) we have a volountary policy which requests the golfers to play toward the green and pick up, counting three if off the green, and two if on. We have no temporaries, and never shut. I find the worst time is after the white frost has lifted, but the ground remains frozen. golfers then assume they may play to the greens as normal. We don't seem to suffer much damage, but are not too busy during poor weather.
30 Nov 2005 by petermarkcraig
An excellent article which I have adapted to be relevant to croquet as well as golf and will be placing in the dressing rooms for the members to read.
Nice one Laurence.
Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.
1 Dec 2005 by dave384
i work at a municipal golf course and the pressures are always there to play play play , we do have temporay tees and i do put them on temp greens a lot in frosts we are never allowed to close due to a frost so we spend a lot of time in the summer and autumn working on temp greens although no money is allocated for them it is just remedial work and fertilizer and topdressing perloined form other jobs that does the business , they are ok but protect the main greens which therefor hold up well and then give you a head start for the spring . oh to have an understanding committee instead of a jumped up officer who knows nothing about greenkeeping but plenty about targets .!!!!!!!!!!!
1 Dec 2005 by dave384
erm also dave about green covers we cant get a bunker rake so a green cover for us is cloud cuckoo land , good idea though .
1 Dec 2005 by woodham
Are there any readers out there that operate a policy of course closure during frost? I know of a few and some of them are big name clubs! Are health and saferty issues taken into account i.e frost on man made constructions such as sleeper steps or bridges?
1 Dec 2005 by Revet
Woodham,
We have over the past few years, covered all our bridges, and steps to tees with a rubber belting in response to some slips on them. It does the job well, and seems to last. Main downside is the cost of the material at almost £400 per roll, which from memory is approx 20square metres. We don't close at all, except when the depth of snow closes the course for us.
1 Dec 2005 by woodham
Revet
Do you use winter mats or have seperate winter tees?
If mats, do you remove them from flay if frozen?
1 Dec 2005 by Revet
No, we haven't any mats, but play from a part of the main tee off to one side or at the front. We also have two alternate tees that sre only used through the winter. These change the landinf area significantly on a couple of short par 4s which would otherwise be full of divots in the main landing area for the summer. We play on turf tees all year, and to the greens except when frosty or thawing. We drain very freely and have a fairly open site with plenty of air movement in most places, so don't get muddy
18 Feb 2008 by christopher davis
We do have winter mats that help the tees, the golfers(most of them)understand the reason for this, we do use temps when frosty but the temp greens are not that good but we do use them, theres 1 person in on weekends for 2 hours in morning, so if frosty we salt the mats and put flags on temps then go home, come tee of time some members put greens on after we have gone home befor the frost has gone, so come monday were left with black feet marks all round the hole, thay just dont understand, then moan when greens are bad,
Chris D
2 Jan 2009 by manager@robinhoodgolfclub.co.uk
I am a member at Kidderminster GC I cannot remember not playing on full greens irrespective of weather conditions. Our greens are probably the best in Worcestershire.
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