On The Course March 11th

Drainage pipe on #7 is starting to flow

We recieved just over a half of an inch of rain over the weekend and we are starting to see the snow pack settle down. The weather forcast for the next couple of weeks looks to be a slow but steady increase in temperatures. Our plan with the current forecast is pull covers the first week in April and look at a opening date sometime during the second week of April. We will see if we get any more significant snow before that time. The course still has a heavy blanket of snow and alot of moisture on the surface. The blanket of snow will help regulate the soil temperatures and keep the frost in the ground longer. The slow melt is a good thing for the turfgrass plants. We want most of the free moisture to leave the surface before the frost comes out of the ground. This will inhibit the freeze and thaw cycles that can be damaging to the turf.

Soil temperature since the begining of March. Still below 30 degrees!

We will be out on the course monitoring the melt really closely over the next couple of weeks. We are watching the soil temperatures on several greens as shown in the image above. The temperatures have not risen above 30 degrees all winter but I would imagine we will be seeing some warming soils in the next couple of weeks. We will have some employees starting the end of March to start getting the course ready for the season. Look for more frequent updates over the next couple of weeks and when the snow leaves we will be adding some videos and more pictures.