Frost delays can be inconvenient but are necessary to prevent
damage to the turf. If there is no need to mow or roll I will time it so that
play starts before the frost has lifted off the last area but it will be gone before
anyone get there. However, in the spring and fall, depending on the growth, I
may also have to add some extra time to ensure the greens are mowed and/or
rolled before play gets to them. This usually takes about 30-40 minutes to ensure
the crew can stay ahead of play.
The
main issue with light to medium frosts is that it freezes the cells of the
plant so when they are walked on the frozen water in the cell ruptures it,
killing (or severely stunting the plant). Once everything freezes up, it is less of an
issue as everything is solid so the cells can’t rupture.
However
when the weather is milder with, for example, warmer days and cold nights or
after a rain event, the solid frozen soil will thaw at the top few inches. This
results in the potential to sheer the roots off at the thawed/frozen interface when
walked/driven on which undoes all the root growth from the fall and set the
plant back as it has to regrow these roots for the following year as opposed to
building onto healthy roots.
Above
is a picture that shows the number of footprints from just one foursome playing a green. You can plainly see how much
concentration there is around the pin, which if there was frost would result in
severe damage. Below is a picture from 15 where one of the crew drove a tractor up to the fairway in a medium frost and turned the turf black for a few weeks, luckily the frost wasn't heavy enough to do more damage....
And how it looked from the the fairway - you can see the potential for damage if carts were let scatter before a frost lifted.
