Fall Preparations for Greens Winter Survival

It's been a busy few weeks since the last posts. The Turfcare team has been preparing the golf courses for winter and I am happy to say we had the time to perform all the work we had planned to do. Over the next few posts we will show you some of the new procedures we have undertaken that may help to improve our winter survival of our greens.

Winter survival can be debated as our Golf Courses’ biggest hurdle to ongoing turf quality. The condition of the greens in the spring has a very direct impact on quality putting surfaces for the upcoming season. With that in mind we are evaluating some new procedures on our golf course that may help to improve our winter survival of our greens. These are as follows:

On greens #7, 9, 10, and 11 we have installed a product called Enkamat in the low areas, which traditionally tend to accumulate ice in some winters. Enkamat is made up of plastic strands; these are intended to increase the air entrapped in any ice that may accumulate.

On #17 we installed a covering system that may help improve the winter survival of the green. The covering system consists of three components:

1. An impermeable cover that prevents water from getting underneath and forming ice on the green.

2. An insulation layer that protects the turf against excessive cold and provides an air space between the cover and the green.

3. A ventilation system for the turf plants to allow proper metabolic processes to continue under the cover through the winter. The ventilation system will help reduce the toxic buildup of gasses produced by the turf plants underneath the covers. Although grass goes dormant in the winter, it continues to respire and produce C02 and other byproducts of normal plant life. If allowed to build up under the closed system that the tarp produces, theses toxic gasses would certainly kill the turf by the time spring arrives.

The ventilation system consists of perforated big O pipes placed underneath the tarp; these provide air exchange both in and out from under the tarp. An intake pipe encircles the green and exhaust pipes are spread out in several locations throughout the green. The exhaust pipes are connected to a whirlybird roof air exhaust device. As the whirlybird turns it pulls air out from under the cover. This system has proved effective at other golf courses to keep greens well ventilated and prevent toxic gas accumulations from underneath covers.

Other procedures we have undertaken:

We have removed sod at the drainage points on some greens to improve the speed at which melting water moves off the greens. By doing so we may minimize the amount of ice that may develop on these greens. The sod will be replaced in the spring.

We have installed a barrier on #11 green to divert melting snow water from the surrounds away from the green.

Lastly, another procedure we have performed is a drilling of the greens in traditional ice formation areas to improve the ability for melting snow water to flow into the green and possibly drain away rather than pooling on the surface to form ice.

It is our hope that these techniques will prove beneficial in improving our winter survival of the poa turf, which is the most predominant species of turf on our golf greens. Winter survival is critical for good golf greens in the spring.

Once we have data from these techniques we will be able to best recommend the techniques which we may need to perform and install in the fall on an annual basis moving forward that will improve our greens winter survival.

                                  #11 green with Enkamat and snow melt diverter.

A new product called Enkamat is being tested on #7,9,10,11 greens to evaluate its potential to minimize ice damage.

A close up of the Enkamat, the staple is an inch long. 

                                Drilling drainage holes on #16 with the drill and fill.

                                   Removing sod to improve meltwater flow off the greens.