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State of the Course

 By Golf Course Superintendent Ben Larsen

Now that the snow and ice have melted, we must now be patient and allow two naturally occurring events to transpire, before we open; thawing of the soil and turf recovery growth. 

The first event is we must wait for the soil profile to thaw.  The depth of frost throughout the course varies from ½”-2’ deep.  Although most of the deep frost has been lifted; there are still several areas where the frost layer remains between ½”-12” inches deep.  Frost at shallow depths can cause serious damage and can set the whole golfing season back if traffic is allowed prematurely.   Maintenance equipment and/or golfer traffic on frozen playable areas, or areas in the current freeze-thaw cycle, can create a "shearing" effect on root systems (seen below).  

 

What happens is the top, or thawed layer moves, and the frozen layer underneath does not; which can have your 9” roots turn into 2” roots.  Just to give an idea of how much shearing can happen to a green; pictured below exhibits how many footprints a typical foursome takes.

 


The second event is we must wait for some turf growth.  Before the golf course can sustain traffic, it must be able to recover.  When temperatures fall below the ranges considered optimal for turfgrass growth, there is a change in the response of turfgrasses to the stresses from golf and course maintenance activities.  Therefore, golf traffic during periods of reduced turfgrass growth can result in increased amounts of worn and thin turf, thus affecting the golf season.  

Below is how Growing Degree Day (GDD) accumulation correlates with the opening date.  Growing Degree Days are a numerical value used to estimate the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season.  The higher the number, the more growth has occurred.  

Year

2019
2018
2017
2016
2015

GDD

160
94
286
254
205

Opening Date

4/20
5/5
4/8
4/11
4/1

Keep in mind, other factors impact the decision to open the course (i.e. the amount of snow, frost, sunlight, dormancy, and future forecast) but GDD is a helpful tool with the timing of opening the course.

With everything mentioned above, the current conditions and long-range forecast, the opening dates for GBCC goes as follows:

Quarry Course & Range – April 13th        

  • Range Tee - Until further notice, hitting and practicing will be limited to mats only; until soil temperatures rise for adequate turfgrass growth and divot recovery.  Also, this year, when using the range, you may notice we are switching to wooden tees only.  The reasons for the switch from plastic to wooden is for range tee cleanliness and equipment preservation.  Plastic tees are white and are not biodegradable, leaving the range tee looking messy and not up to country club standard.  Also, plastic tees do not cut or break down, leaving them caught up in the mowing equipment; resulting in a poor cut on the tee and the constant need to sharpen blades and replace them.  However, plastic tees will still be available in your cart, but used out on the Championship Course only.  

  • Championship Course Putting & Chipping Green- Until the course is open, the putting and chipping green will remain closed until April 20th.  If you are wanting to practice your short game, then please use the Quarry Course practice area.

Championship Course - April 20th 

  • Golf Carts - Carts will be made available on opening day but will be limited to Cart Path Only.  As soon as the roughs begin to grow vigorously enough to withstand cart traffic and wear, then carts will be allowed off the path.  For a consistent, healthy and vigorous growth, turfgrass needs soil temperatures to remain above 50 degrees at night, and into the 60’s during daytime.  Until this happens, the turf does not have the recuperative potential to withstand golf cart traffic.  

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