Opening Day Blues

Finally - Some warm damn weather.  It has been a long time coming, but I am seeing signs of life across the golf course.  We are still quite brown overall, but with some continued normal temperatures we should be able to start mowing off that brown fuzz.  Unfortunately, it's looking like one of those springs.  I've got what they call the "opening day blues" - my desire to get you all out on the course ASAP conflicts with the potential damage that could be done by opening the floodgates too early.  It's a delicate balance that I'm sure is eliciting some not-so-delicate comments from those itching to beat the pea around the course.  I would like to have the greens open by this weekend, but with a rainy forecast (up to 3/4" forecast thursday-friday) and the current condition of the course, I can't commit right now.

During this time of year, I am often asked "how much growth do you like to see before you open?"  To be honest, growth is not really the limiting factor in opening.  Firmness is far more important. Right now, the golf course is like walking around on your mattress. With such cold late winter-early spring temps, the underground frost held until just recently.  In fact, the pump installers were digging a post hole yesterday and there were still chunks of ice and frozen soil coming up around 12" deep.  Remnants of another long, stubborn winter.

The consequence of the late thaw is that more moisture is trapped in the upper soil profile.  With less than robust plants and a soft soil surface, it's a recipe for problems.  Cart traffic on fairways and foot traffic on greens with such soft surfaces will create uneven putting surfaces and cause increased soil compaction - things that can be avoided if we wait just a little longer for things to firm up.

Today, we will start rolling and maybe even mowing the greens for the first time this year in hopes of opening soon.  Rolling should help firm up surfaces and hopefully smooth out any heaving issues over the winter.  With a good result, I am cautiously optimistic we will be in a position to open if the rain holds off.  Rain on top of the current soft conditions would likely make the place borderline unplayable.

In the meantime, our skeleton crew is busy cleaning, blowing, so as soon as the time is right we will be happy to open those floodgates.