After a wet summer, winter is showing signs of being a dry one. Now that the irrigation system is drained for winter, we are rolling out the water tanks to irrigate any of the dry spots necessary on the golf course. Perennial dry spots are mostly bunker banks, south facing slopes and high traffic areas. Our goal for winter watering is to wet the crown which is the "heart" of the plant located at the surface to prevent desiccation.
We are currently finishing up with topdressing tees, fairways and approaches this week. There are some sandy lies out there, but this is an integral part of the process for firmer and better playing surfaces. The sand and compost blend helps cover the crown of the turf plants. It slows down the drying out process during an arid winter and it protects against ice or snow damage as well.
Greens are ready for whatever Mother Nature throws our way this winter. As I have said in this blog many times, winter stresses are the most difficult to overcome because the plants are not actively growing. The plants are left a little on the long side on purpose. Right now the greens are still in the process of going into dormancy or "hardening off". This is an important step for the survival of golf greens. Longer plants can store more carbohydrates and help protect the crown during winter stress.
During my time in the mountains, we always had greater spring success when the turfgrass plants could harden off before snow cover. Dormancy is a "self-defense" mechanism that plants develop to fight against these stresses. We noticed much less disease and turf plants began growing quicker and the golf course was playable early on when dormancy was achieved before snowfall.
Aside from the week of bitter cold in November, winter has been fairly warm. The golf course has not fully gone into dormancy. Soils are not frozen yet and there is still some vigor to the turf plants on greens. Of course they won't roll like they do during the summer months, but once the plants lose that vigor they will speed up some more. Mowing or rolling greens at this time of the year to satisfy green speeds will only sacrifice long term results.
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