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How the weather can impact
the course and your tee time
W
intertime weather in the
Coachella Valley certainly
is not as harsh as other
parts of the country, but cold early
mornings can have a significant im-
pact on the golf course. And one of
the biggest concerns this time of year
is frost, which can cause enormous
damage to the playing surface if
precautions are not taken.
While the last thing any
player wants is to show up for
7 a.m. tee time only to be told
that starting times have been pushed
back due to frost, there isn't much
that can be done when Mother Na-
ture turns down the temperature.
"Frost delays occur when the
ground temperature falls below freez-
ing causing the grass blades to be-
come frozen and brittle," said Direc-
tor of Agronomy Andrew Rebman.
"We inform the golf shop of the delay
and wait until temperatures rise high
enough for the frost to thaw."
A blade of grass contains about 80
percent water, which is why it freezes
– and frost is basically frozen dew that
has crystallized, making the plants
hard and brittle.
Frost may occur overnight, but
often forms at sunrise before temper-
atures begin to climb.
But that's not the problem. Frost it-
self doesn't damage the grass. It's the
walking or riding on frost-covered
fairways and greens that causes the
plant to break and lose its ability to
function. And, much like an egg shell,
it can't be put back together.
It's important to note that the dam-
age doesn't occur right away. It gen-
erally takes two or three days to
appear. By that time the blades of
grass may turn purple or black, even-
tually fading to a very light brown.
The grass also becomes more suscep-
tible to disease and weeds.
"We would like players to know
that frost delays are not in our control
and are completely weather depend-
ent," Rebman said. "We determine
when it is safe for golfers to tee off by
checking hourly weather forecasts,
checking on-site temperatures at our
weather station, feeling the plant to
see if it is frozen, and through experi-
ence. We do our best to allow golfers
to begin play as soon as possible."
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