19/1/24
Friday – Course Status Amber, 10th Tee Start.
Frosty Setup this morning, with extreme measures to move markers after not moving yesterday. A Drill & a Member of the Team in a tag Team effort 😂
Car Park Hedges getting a trimm before the cars start rolling in…..
Soil transportation to the 9th while ground conditions allow… one of the positives with deep hard frosts is the ability to get heavy equipment over the site 🤩
Thining to the copse/Ditch on the 6th & 7th Continues while an Excavator is free.
Yes we know we know…. the Gents are running out of places/bushes to do their business while playing, as i got an ear bashing yesterday for it 🤣 Plenty of places for that still…. however keeping the site tidy is our priority and this is another complaint im happy to recieve 😃 Anything removed, gives the ones left more chance to thrive!
Looks like the last of the heavy frosts… so this weekend brings different challenges, see below. eeeekkk!
As an advance warning…. Sunday looks highly likely to have all pins on Temporary Greens. This is due to the recent super cold spell resulting in a deep frost in the ground and the sudden change in temperature/rainfall will cause a suspended water table with the water unable to drain through the frozen soil.
As you know, here at Windlesham we never normally worry about playing on the Greens during frost periods. This is because, for us, not other Clubs, the damage isn’t generally detrimental enough to out weigh the time spent/wasted moving flags on and off while slightly frosty then thawing. We would much rather utilise that time improving the Course, like clearing ditches like below 🤩
However… the small % of freak times like this, where its sub zero for a prolonged period of time and the frost penetrates deep it can cause massive issues with plant damage.
This is because the area where the roots are has become frozen solid, and with the change in temperature thawing from the surface down, it can create a carpet layer effect. The grass layer can move with foot traffic yet the roots are frozen static and they shear from each other with the Grass plant then dying with no connected root system.
Im sure nobody wants that now do they…. for the sake of potentially 1 or 2 days, (under 1%) of the year having to play on Temporary Greens.
This decision is essential to keep the Course in the best possible condition for our Members and limit detrimental damage.