'Tis the Season of... Frost Delays

A number of factors lead to the formation of frost but if the temperature drops below 34 degrees you can almost bet on there being frost on the golf course. Frost delays can be an inconvenience to both golfers and the maintenance crew. Frost is the formation of ice crystals on the outside and the inside of the plant. These crystals make the plant weaker and more susceptible to damage from cart and foot traffic. It is important to stay off any frost covered turf as the damage can take months to heal itself.

What makes frost tricky to work around is that the entire course does not thaw out at the same time. While the first hole might be frost free other holes will still have some. Frost will stick around in low lying and shaded areas much longer than in areas of full sun. So if you do not see frost and are wondering why the course is still not open, the crew is most likely waiting on these areas to thaw out to be prepared for play.

Along with frost, fall also means an abundance of leaves are being shed by the trees. We are working around the clock to keep the course as clean and leaf free as possible. We hope everyone enjoys their cool season golf here at Adams Pointe and would also like to thank you for your patience and your help protecting the course from damage during frost delays.

Autumn at Adams Pointe

The fall season is officially upon us. This is an important time of year for our cool season turf to heal, hopefully thrive, and begin storing food for the winter. We are currently overseeding around 1,250 pounds of fescue seed into the rough. First, focusing on the areas around bunkers that were sodded over the winter. After all of the bunker edges are seeded we will overseed other thinning areas throughout the rough. We have already overseeded 450 pounds of bentgrass seed into thinning areas of the fairways. Bentgrass is also seeded into areas of our fairways that are predominantly bermuda grass. This is a practice we apply every fall in an effort to introduce new bentgrass as the warm season bermuda grass begins to go dormant.

With roughly 1,700 pounds of seed throughout the golf course it is important to keep moisture in these newly seeded areas. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to isolate our irrigation system to just water the seeded areas. As a result, some areas that do not necessarily need the water have to get wet and may become soggy.  Typically these are low areas in fairways that have a tendency to hold water.  We ask that these areas are avoided with cart traffic. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Bentgrass seed germinating in thinning area of fairway