More clearing, but no playing

The 18 was cleared yesterday and it looks good as well. But please, I ask that no one play these greens. #17 green has many recent ballmarks and does not help the green come out of dormancy.

I had a great question asked of me about snowfall on the greens after they have been cleared. Well there are pros and cons. The let me start with the upside of new snow cover. First it prevents dessication. The last thing we want to do is blow snow back onto the green if the plants receive no moisture. The second positive is that the snow acts like a blanket and protects the plants from severe temperature fluctuations.

The downsides are disease and crown hydration. The disease we run the risk of seeing this time of year is pink snow mold or fusarium. These are not fatal, but can slow the plant down for the start of the season. If we notice any disease develop we can apply a light rate of fungicide to prevent it from spreading.

Crown hydration is a tricky one. When you lose the crown of the plant, you lose the plant. Similar to frost damage, the crown is the heart of the plant. In a nutshell we want to prevent standing or melting water on the green with severe low temperatures. When the plant takes up a lot of water, the crown of the plant can freeze, shatter and die.