Phase 2, Icy Weather, and a Sunny Reprieve
- Kevin Moores
- Feb 21, 2025
- 4 min read
We left off with 1 Fairway being close to roughed in. That was successfully completed and Turf Masters moved on to 9 fairway. The new fairway bunker here has been roughed in and existing drain lines in the fairway were located to tie into with the new drainage that will be in the bunker. After a quiet couple of weeks with weather preventing progress, Turf Masters has picked back up on 9 greenside. The right bunker has been filled in and in its place will be a chipping/roll off area. The bunker on the left will be removed, with 2 new bunkers in its place, The front left portion of the green will be greater protected by one of the new bunkers.
Weather is a hot topic these days….without the hot. Frigid temperatures have persisted throughout the winter and the last week we have been hit with a couple of storms that ended with rain or freezing rain, followed by very cold weather soon after. The results that we have all been dealing with are ice covered driveways and streets. On the golf course, we have gone out and inspected certain green sites. Total depth has reduced to 6 inches or less. A good portion of this is ice, which is not ideal.
Working in our favor is that the ice is not buried under a couple of feet of snow, which would increase the time needed to bare off. The cold weather has abated for the time being. Daytime highs are peeking above the freezing mark and next week has potential for some rain. We will be clearing areas around the greens to give melting snow and ice a place to go to get away from the greens.
These storms bring up bad memories from 2015, where extensive turf damage occurred over the winter months. Before getting too pessimistic, I looked back at a post I made on February 9th last year where I collected data from several notable years for comparative purposes.
Here is what we have experienced so far:
2025
December- Snow- 44cm Rain- 89mm Low Temp Avg. -5.6C
January- Snow- 35cm Rain- 32mm Low Temp Avg. -8.9C
February- Snow 46cm Rain- 17.2 mm Low Temp Avg. -13.0C
Total Snow- 125cm
Total Rain- 138.2mm
Low Temp. Avg. -9.23C
Right away, differences from 2015 are the amount of snow that fell. More fell in February alone than we have received this winter so far, with nothing too significant in the medium-long range forecast. Rainfall amounts have been well below average in these years. In December of 2014, 275mm rain fell and we started 2015 off with saturated soild and ice on some of the greens. We then had record breaking snowfalls that lasted into April. The extended period of time (110-120 days) under ice proved to be too much and by late April when spring finally thawed things out did we see what damage had been done. At the time this post goes out we will be at about 5-7 days, with a week left in February. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are in the clear, but provided we can bare off sometime in March, I feel better about our chances. We will be taking samples early next week that should give us some clues. Late season deep tine aeration and wetting agent application can help keep surface water from freezing as easily. Hoping it pays some dividends come April.
I was fortunate to escape the cold of winter to travel to California and Arizona this month. The annual GCSAA conference was held in San Diego this year. I attended the conference and trade show. The annual event brings together the best that the turf industry has to offer. Superintendents from the top golf courses around the globe, the most highly regarded scientists that study at the top Universities, and the suppliers showing off the newest in golf course maintenance technology. I was fortunate enough to get a tour of Torrey Pines just ahead of the Genesis Tournament. Meeting with management there and getting insight into tournament preparation.
After the conference I made a trip to the desert. A fellow Guelph graduate is a Superintendent at the PGA West Resort. I got to meet him and play the Stadium Course. They had just finished a full restoration of the course over the past year. Learning about the work that was done, what goes into desert golf course management with overseeding and water restrictions was eye opening and invaluable.
I finished my trip by driving out to Phoenix to catch a round of the WM Phoenix Open. Seeing the party that is going on there and the amazing golf being played was memorable. Any chance I have gotten to watch PGA Tour Golf I always make sure to hang around after the final groups go through. Watching the maintenance team come through after the final groups is always a major highlight. I get very nostalgic to my internship at Quail Hollow and remember all of the hours and work that went into that. I am very happy and fortunate to have traveled to see everything that I did. I come back excited more than ever for the 2025 golf season!
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