First Update of the Year

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season, and all that traveled have made it safely back to Stonebridge. I seems as if all of the travel from north to south has created a draft that has dragged some cool weather our way. This is the first subject in this blog. To make it easier for me to explain, the following is from my monthly report submitted to the Green Committee:
On January 4^th we experienced our first frost of the season. Soil temperatures dropped to 43 degrees F and have remained in the 50s for most of the days following. We can expect the greens to go off color, little to no turf growth, and the areas that had frost will turn straw colored. We go through this most years and it is temporary. As soon as soil temperatures warm back up we will grow out of the cold damage. On a positive note the greens will be faster with no additional work required from the maintenance staff! Following are some facts about frost:

• Dew and frost are caused by water vapor in the air.
• Frost forms similar to dew. Dew and frost form when a surface, in this case the turf, cools through loss of infrared radiation to a point below the dew point – or frost point.
• Temperature readings are taken at an average of 4’.On calm clear nights the temperature near the ground can be several degrees cooler than that of the air several feet above it.
• It needs to be 32 degrees F or colder for frost to form. Even though local weather may show higher temperatures you can bet it has reached at least 32F if frost has formed.
• When we have frost on the course it is serious business. It is not so much that the frost damages turf, it is what a person walking or a cart driving on the turf would do. Frosted turf is frozen turf at the cellular level. Foot or cart traffic over this turf will cause cell walls to rupture and can kill the turf. When we have frost we delay all maintenance activity and do not allow anyone on the course. As the sun comes up and temperatures start to rise we run water on the frosted areas to melt it away. A degree or two can make a difference. If we start watering too soon the frost re-forms. It is only after all frost is melted away that we give the all clear. At this time the maintenance crew can get to their work of setting up the course.

If the forecast is calling for temperatures around 40F we are on frost watch. If you have an early tee time scheduled it would be wise to check in with the golf shop to see if we expect delays. We will do our best to communicate with the membership, and through this inconvenience know that we are taking necessary steps to keep your course in the best shape and health as possible.

This is an area of frost damage. Note the straw colored appearance. The worst of the frost damage occurred in low areas, such as around drains. Even areas of the course that didn't receive frost are feeling the effects of the cold. The grass isn't growing and the course is looking a little beat up. After the frost we did get some warm weather and we took the opportunity to run some fertilizer through the irrigation system to get things moving. One thing is for sure about cold weather in Florida - it doesn't last long! We will warm up, the grass growth will take off, and the mowers will be back out again. As I mentioned earlier: enjoy the extra roll on the greens!

The target greens at the driving range have been painted again this year. It was done towards the end of season last year but we decided to get an early start this year to spruce up the look for the Cocktails and Golf Balls event. In hindsight, I wish I would have taken a before shot of the target greens prior to painting. One thing it would have shown was the amount of wear the range ball picker puts on the turf. Prior to painting there were lush green spots around the flag sticks. This is because the range picker does not drive over these areas causing traffic wear. This is the same effect we get on the course from cart traffic. If you don't think we get cart wear take a look around one of the 150 yard poles. You will see a noticeable difference between there and the areas the carts drive on. During this time of year almost 100% of drivable turf shows signs of wear!

The target greens have been painted with a latex based turf paint. This will help the targets stand out during a time of increased wear and tear of the range turf caused by the range ball picker.


The following is a "before" shot taken from the white tee on #15. The picture was taken at 2PM. This tee has not performed well for the past 2 winters because of an extreme shade issue. Last year the tee was overseeded with Rye grass to get us through season. Last spring the tee was re-sodded with hopes that the turf would mature for a full growing season and be better able to deal with the shade. This has not turned out to be the case.

Once again the tee has been overseeded. Over the next couple of weeks we will see the seed pop up and the turf cover will continue to thicken. This spring we will transition from Rye Grass back to Bermudagrass. We have a couple options moving forward from there, and I will be having discussions with the Green committee on this topic.

This brings you up to date with what is happening on the course. Enjoy the near perfect weather we enjoy this time of year, the golf course, and everything else Stonebridge has to offer.

Alan Bakos, CGCS
Director of Grounds