Play on frozen greens Cancel The title field is required!

1. Wydra David A

   
   12/7/2011 1:12 PM

   Whats your policy regarding winter play? If the greens are totally frozen, do you allow your golfers to play on them? What if they slightly thaw out on the surface but remain frozen underneath? We've had a few weeks with overnight temps from the lower teens to mid twenties. Currently our greens are frozen about 6" down. Today for instance, the high temp is supposed to be around 50, allowing the top 3/8" to 1/2" of the turf to thaw. Our current policy is such that we will allow play on our regulation greens when they are COMPLETELY thawed. On days like today, we get the handful of members who simply cannot understand why we don't open the regulation greens, even after multiple communications on why we don't allow play on the greens when they are in this condition. So - you guys in the freeze zone; whats your policy and how do you tell your members?

   
   
   
   
2. Aaron Gutierrez

   

   0 posts
   
   12/7/2011 3:12 PM

   im in tulsa ok and the greens were frozen this morning until noon. we had a threesome play at 9:30 this morning when it was around 25degees, you know "those members"! I let them play when greens are frozen but not if there is frost. The only thing i notice is divots are a little harder to fix but also harder to make when they are frozen. I say FROST no FREEZE yes

   
   
   
   
3. Robert Crockett

   

   4 posts
   
   12/8/2011 10:12 AM

   agezee78 said: im in tulsa ok and the greens were frozen this morning until noon. we had a threesome play at 9:30 this morning when it was around 25degees, you know "those members"! I let them play when greens are frozen but not if there is frost. The only thing i notice is divots are a little harder to fix but also harder to make when they are frozen. I say FROST no FREEZE yes

   
   Same here in the Tx Panhandle...Dumas Tx

   
   
   
   
4. Rundstrom Andrew

   
   12/8/2011 11:12 AM

   My greens have been frozen for weeks now and we let them play. We only get the real die hards this time of year anyways and they don't do that much damage. Frost=NO Freeze=Yes.

   
   
   
   
5. Tyler Daniels

   

   1 posts
   
   12/8/2011 12:12 PM

   Let em play if their crazy enough! I'll be headed out to tee it up with them

   
   
   
   
6. Joe Wachter

   

   5 posts
   
   12/8/2011 1:12 PM

   We let them play unless there is frost. During the thaw out in February, we sometimes have to shutdown for a day or two if their is water on top and still frozen below.

   
   
   
   
7. Ryan Walsh

   

   0 posts
   
   12/8/2011 2:12 PM

   We allow our members to play on frozen greens. Come spring time when the greens begin to thaw, we throw the pins out in the fairway... 50 yards shy of the green. The membership is informed that during the thaw period the plants crown becomes vulnerable to damage. We always stress that our best interest is to provide healthy conditions for our entire membership during the season, not the 3% that get frost bite in the winter months.

   
   
   
   
8. Jeffrey Sexton

   

   0 posts
   
   12/8/2011 5:12 PM

   Our policy is they can play on frozen greens. The days they are going to thaw, we remain closed. I judge this by trying to push a small diameter screw driver into the green. If I can push it down an 1 in. but no more we do not let the golfers walk on them. Bentgrass roots that exist in a thawed upper layer and a frozen lower layer are prone to tearing off if walked on by several golfers. The roots in the upper 1 in. will shift with traffic and the part of the root that is in the frozen zone will remain in place causing a tear at that junction. This is my two cents!
   
   
   
   Jeff Sexton
   Henderson Country Club
   Henderson, KY