Winter Weather Alert

After weeks of blue skies, warm weather and temperatures that have made it unnecessary to cover our greens, winter has finally arrived at The Ford Plantation.

During the week of January 2-5, 2011 (Monday-Thursday), the golf course maintenance department will be covering the P.G. and front nine putting greens due to night time temperatures between 25 and 38 degrees. The covering process will begin at 3:00 PM each day on #1 and will go in order from there.

Remember that the back nine will be OPEN for play even if the front nine covers have been secured. All covers will be removed the following morning as soon as the frost has lifted, typically between 9:00 and 9:45 AM.  

Please see our previous blog (Covering Process to Begin Soon, December 3, 2011) on importance of covering greens, why we do this process, and how we do it.

Thank you in advance for your help next week. If you have any questions or concerns about our covering process please feel free to contact the Pro shop, CW Canfield or Nelson Caron.

#5 cover has been secured.

The USGA's Video, "Trees on the Golf Course"

The USGA's Video, "Trees on the Golf Course" is an informative short video explaining the dynamic challenges of the coexistence of turf and trees on the golf course. View the video below.

The USGA's High Speed Video: Planting a Bermudagrass Green

Are you interested in the process of planting a new putting green. If so, check out the link below to view a 2 minute video. It's a fun watch.

USGA's Planting a Bermudagrass Green

Covering Process To Begin Soon

This week we will cover our greens for the first time this winter. Covering greens is a common practice done on ultradwarf putting greens during the winter months. This process helps our greens hold heat in the soil profile, prevents plant desiccation and protects turfgrass plants against extreme cold temperatures and wind. Covers will only be deployed on the front nine greens and practice green where shade and air pockets are a constant challenge to turfgrass health.

We will deploy covers at 3:00 PM in the afternoon prior to overnight temperatures forecasted to be below 40 F. If you plan on playing an afternoon round of golf, we suggest checking the overnight forecast before teeing off so you are not disrupted by the covering process. We will remove the covers after the frost has lifted the following morning (see frost blog).

We will communicate with the pro shop when we do cover the front nine greens. In the afternoon, the back nine greens will be available for play during the course of front nine turf blanket deployment.

Please contact the pro shop with any questions you may have.

Figure 1. Covering greens can increase soil temperatures substantially. The picture on the left is from a green that does not get covered (45.8 F) while the picture on the right is from a green that gets covered (49.5 F).  

Figure 2. It takes approximately 1 hour to cover all of the front nine greens.

Figure 3. Once greens are covered they are fastened to the ground using fabricated tent stakes. 

 

Figure 4. The covering process traps heat in the soil and helps maintain a healthier turfgrass plant.

Staff Education Day

Throughout the year the golf course maintenance staff periodically takes part in on-course educational tours. These educational tours are designed to reinforce regular maintenance practices and go through standard operating procedures. The tours can cover everything from golfer expectations, mowing practices, bunker maintenance to general course information.  

Getting up close is part of the process of seeing the intricacies of what we do on a daily basis.

Answering questions is an important aspect of getting everyone on the same page.

It is a good idea to have refresher courses throughout the year to minimize mistakes and increase work quality.

At the end of the tour the crew was given a chance to experience first hand the high quality their hard work has produced.