Yesterday, the temperature climbed into the upper 40's allowing the majority of the snow to quickly rip off the golf course. I have been asked numerous times if the snow is good or bad for the turf. It can be good when it is dry and acts as an insulator. When it becomes slushy and turns to ice over an extended period of time it can be dangerous. Noticing that cold temperatures are forecasted for the remainder of the week and weekend, we decided today to remove the remaining snow off of the greens. This will keep it from re-freezing and turning to ice.
In the photo below you can still make out the holes left behind from vertidraining the greens late in the season. Vertidraining is when we mechanically poke a long (8") soild tine into the green. This is a great cultural practice, especially on our push up greens. We did this late in the season to help the 5th, 7th, 13th, 14th, and 15th greens that run on the southern boarder of the property. These greens sit in the shade the longest and have historically been the slowest to recover from winter in the spring. The vertidraining is allowing the water to escape faster as the snow is melting.
