Yelverton Golf Club

NOTICE TO MEMBERS
WINTER GREENS

There have been concerns expressed by members about the frequency of winter greens this year, particularly the weekend when the February Stableford was cancelled. The issue has been discussed with the Captain, Chairman of Green and Course Manager, and an agreed statement is below.

This winter has been one of the worst, in terms of low temperatures, for many decades. It was the coldest January since 1987 with prolonged periods of sub-zero temperatures, with predominately all the weather coming form the East and Northeast. At Yelverton, we are very exposed to this direction of weather and sustained low temperatures. It is unfair to compare it to other courses in the region, even Tavistock, which has a slightly more sheltered aspect. I have spoken to their Secretary, and his greens thaw quicker than ours due to the lower elevation. Just as they have less fog and mist, due to their different geographical location. We are one of the highest altitude clubs in this area, only Okehampton being higher. I am a member at Thurlestone and they obviously are better located for frost due to their closeness to the sea.

However, it should be noted that neither of these courses have temporary greens when it is frozen, neither do China Fleet Club and other courses in the area. Their policy is to close the course completely, to save damage to tees and fairways. At Yelverton we recognise that our members want to get the maximum use from their investment, therefore our policy is to allow members to play, but on frost greens. The problem then comes when the greens start to thaw, and members see the surface frost disappear. I have copied and pasted an article from a greenkeepers magazine, to illustrate the problem experienced by greenkeepers throughout the world, and attach it as an Appendix to this letter.

This year has been extremely frustrating for both playing members and staff. I can assure everyone that we want our members out on the course playing as much as possible, not sitting in the bar unhappy about not being able to play. However, we have to strike a balance between over-protecting the course, and giving the maximum access to the course. Naturally the decision is always subjective, and it was the decision of the duty greenkeeper that weekend to abandon the competition, due to surface frost. I checked the greens myself and agreed with his assessment.

I then asked him to check the greens again at 10.00am, and he confirmed that there was still frost just below the surface, and his judgement was that the greens would not be fit to play for the remainder of the day. This was backed-up by a call to the Course Manager at home, so naturally I could not over-rule his judgement.

We have now reviewed our policy, and we will re-train all staff on assessing the greens for fitness to play, and also lay down parameters and systems to ensure that the members have the best possible facilities at all times.

We do have a problem with some of our greens due to their being wet. We are well aware of the problems and had planned to have corrective action taken last year, but the financial situation did not allow us to make the investment required. This year the problem greens will be treated, and this should enable the greens to be in-play for far longer in the future.

The use of squeegees on wet greens has been suggested. This may get rid of the surface water, but if the underlying soil is saturated then damage is still done by compaction and balls landing on the surface. If the rain is continuous then the water will then re-appear in a few minutes, and we do not have 18 staff to stand guard on each green throughout the day. So a decision has to be made about whether to close the course or the greens until the weather abates.

I hope that this explains the predicament for the staff. I know that it does not help members who have been adversely affected this year at Yelverton. But we have been open for longer than many courses, and we will make every attempt to ensure that play will be possible in the best possible conditions in the future.

S M J Barnes
Manager/Secretary
3rd March 2010

Appendix 1

Frost Greens

There are two types of frost. One is a surface frost, where the leaf blade becomes frozen and any direct pressure can cause bruising and sustained damage to the plant. The other type is when the soil becomes frozen. Often the two will happen at the same time and temporary greens should always be utilised in these instances. During prolonged periods of frosts the leaf blade may dry out but the soil will remain frozen. During this time it may be possible to play the greens but only for the odd day or two and if we are 100% sure that the soil surface is not going to thaw. It is when the soil is frozen and the top surface starts to thaw that any contact will cause the roots to shear and the grass plant will not recover from this extent of damage. Often Golfing members are unaware of this and from “6ft” away the greens appear to be in a playable state. The green needs to be inspected using a knife or sampler to determine whether the soil profile is still frozen.