1/21/2013 2:01 PM
Justin,
I don't know where you are located, but your winter sounds familiar to a trend here in the western Dakotas and eastern MT and Wyoming.
As you've mentioned, yes, the ground is completely frozen. However, your crowns and tissues on your lower cut turf are obviously suseptible to the winds and dessication you've described. So far this winter, I've been lucky and have had good snow cover since mid December. That is until this past week of 45 degrees with wind, we've lost almost all cover where trees and shadows didn't help protect us. When we are open though, and the temperature window permits, we've spent a lot of time trucking water to re-hydrate the surface of our putting surfaces, and selected highlyt exposed tees. Obviously, we aren't exactly watering them, but the thought of being proactive as you've mentioned is better than chewing your nails and wondering what spring might bring.
My goal has always been to start as soon as we are above freezing, and frost is absent. I also try to quit watering at a minimum of 2 hours before an expected temperature drop. I've never done it, but a flash freeze at the crown is something I'm trying to avoid. We typically use a retaining agent pellet on the end of our hoses, and if possible, try to get at least 100 gallons/1000 ft sq. We'll water as long as this scenario of above freezing temps will be present to get through everybody, and we may hit the more exposed areas a few more times before the trend is up. Once watered, if the warm trend has continued (40's and up for example), we'll hit it after 7-10 days again.
I just don't want to have someone ask me why I didn't try to do something rather than watch our grass de-hydrate in the adverse conditions. Just my 2 cents.
Kyle Fick
GCS Bully Pulpit GC