More rain equals more ice.
Not the most earth shattering statement.
More rain fell on the golf course on Sunday and Monday. The rain resulted in an ice layer covering
the surface of all eight untarped greens.
When I wrote my last post a week ago there were only three greens with an
ice layer.
The ice on the greens
varies in thickness from 3mm (.11”) to 5mm (.19”). The grass crowns are completely covered on
all eight greens and only 20% of the leaf tips are protruding through the
ice. The ice on the greens is clear and
very difficult to visually detect. When
the snow is removed, we can still see the aeration holes on the greens and the
surface appears to have very little ice accumulation. It is not until you place your hand on the
surface of the greens or take a sample out of the greens, that the ice layer
can be detected. We took samples out of
three greens so we could measure ice thickness at the shop. I have included a video update and a few
pictures.
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| 3 mm Ice Thickness #4 Green |
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| Ice Sample from #15 Green |
The question is -- how should we deal with the ice? There are two choices - remove the ice now or
monitor turf health and ice levels and remove the ice in early spring. None of the choices are good.
