As all of you who stick around Cleveland through the winter know, it has been a tough one. With the sub zero temperatures, melting, and freezing there becomes some concern for the condition of the turf. The concerns are crown hydration for both Poa annua and bentgrass, and no gas exchange due to ice cover. The health of the turf going into winter plays a big role in how long the turf can tolerate ice covered conditions. We have only really had one thawing and freezing episode, so my concern for crown hydration is less than that of some ice coverage we have been monitoring. Below are pictures of some plugs taken from around the course. One from 11 fairway mounds, one from a low spot on 15 fairway, and one from the bottom of the hill on 17 fairway. The mounds on 11 fairway have been exposed to two sub-zero stretches of weather. The mounds become exposed by the wind and therefore don't have the protection of snow cover. This damages the turf just like over exposure to freezing winds would damage a persons skin. The good news is, the turf will usually recover from this quickly after a couple mowing's, and increased soil temperatures. You will notice the wind damage I am talking about on the photo of the plug from 11 fairway. The good news is, the plug from 15 that was under ice looks great. We will monitor these over the next couple of days to make sure we see growth.
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| 11 Fairway Mound |
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| Ice Covered portion of 15 Fairway |
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| Bottom of Hill on 17 fairway |
