More than halfway through January, the Southeast is finally experiencing winter. With ice, snow, subfreezing temperatures and high winds, winter is back with a vengeance. Bermudagrass is especially vulnerable right now as it has not gone fully into dormancy. In fact, many bermudagrass surfaces throughout the Southeast were actively growing just a few weeks ago.
The primary concern for golf courses right now should be the safety and well-being of employees and players. Power outages, icy conditions or snow cover make working and accessing facilities very difficult. It is a much better decision to wait until the weather improves before trying to uncover putting greens or clean up downed trees and debris. Accessing the golf course when turfgrass is not actively growing and when soil conditions are very saturated could lead to damage that cannot recover until late spring.
Similar to preparing for severe storms, golf courses should have a plan in place for winter weather. This will help prevent mistakes and injuries and get the facility back up and running as quickly and safely as possible. Here are some things to consider for a winter weather plan:
- Is the golf course ready for winter weather? Do greens need to be covered? How far in advance do you need to start this process given the weather conditions and staffing levels?
- Is the necessary equipment ready for snow removal, tree cleanup and possible power outages? Are fuel storage containers full?
- In the event of snow, who is responsible for snow removal and when is this expected to happen? A snow removal plan is critical to safely reentering the property.
- In the event of a power outage, who is responsible for managing backup power sources and what components of the facility are critical priorities for power restoration?
- Who makes the decision to close the golf facility and when will that happen?
- Who will communicate with your golfers and employees about expected reopening of facilities and the golf course?
After winter weather occurs, patience is needed. Golf course conditions will not be ideal following snow or ice. Downed trees and debris need to be cleaned up and the golf course needs time to drain from melting ice and snow. The golf course maintenance staff needs time to reenter the golf course, check for issues and address them as needed. The good news is that in the Southeast there’s usually more good golf weather just around the bend.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Chris Hartwiger, director, USGA Course Consulting Service – chartwiger@usga.org
Steve Kammerer, Ph.D., senior consulting agronomist – skammerer@usga.org
Jordan Booth, agronomist – jbooth@usga.org