Frost Delays

I have been receiving a lot of questions regarding frost delays, over the past few weeks.  One question that continues to be asked is, "What happens if we play on a green that has frost?" A second question is, "Why has the frost delay not been lifted now that it has reached 42 degrees?"

My response to the first question mentioned above, has been, "Frost is basically frozen dew that has formed on the leaf of grass.  A grass blade is 90 percent water, therefore, it freezes when temperatures drop to or below 32 degrees.  By walking on the green when there is frost, you are damaging that green.  The only way to repair the damaged green is by plugging it or replacing it with sod."

My response to the second question mentioned above, has been, " We have a few greens that tend to be shaded longer due to the positioning of the sun during the winter months (refer back to the blog about shade issues and sun).  The parts of the green that stay in the shade longer are at least 10 degrees cooler than the part of the green that is in the sun.  Unfortunately, the greens that stay shaded longer are numbers 1, 2 and 10, which result in a longer frost delay. 

Number 1 green at 9:38 AM on February 7, 2012

Number 2 Green at 9:42 AM on February 7, 2012

Number 10 green at 9:31 AM on February 7, 2012












There may be some mornings that you walk outside and not see any frost on the ground.  This can be due to cloud cover or the wind having blown over night, which dries the dew before morning.  Let it be known that if there is no frost but the temperature is still below 32 degrees we will not let anyone play until the temperature reach above freezing.