Recently there has been a lot of talk around the subject of how golf courses in our area are handling this extremely hard winter. The answer is that nobody knows yet for sure. For the past three days our staff at Walnut Creek has been working extremely hard at removing snow and ice from the greens. The hard questions that Superintendents face in the winter are "should we remove snow and ice"...and if that answer is yes, then "when?". Some may ask, "why wouldn't you remove snow and ice all year long?" The answer is that the possibility of mechanical damage from snow/ice removal poses a risk that is sometimes greater than just leaving it alone. Most winters have freeze and thaw cycles which will remove the snow and ice but this winter has not been that way. The decision to finally remove the snow/ice from our greens came from the extended forecast showing a warming trend in daytime highs coupled with below freezing temps at night. With the projected forecast, and with as many days as the greens have been under ice cover, snow and ice are now being removed.
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| Spreading black sand to soak up heat and cut channels through the ice. Plants will suffocate under extended ice cover. |
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| Snow/ice melting away on 2 North green. |
Michigan State University professors recently posted a letter which also describes the current conditions in Southeast Detroit and expectations for spring. Please feel free to read it at the following link: http://www.migcsa.org/uploads/Winterkill-Letter-2014.pdf
