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2  <br />  <br />The weather pattern we are currently experiencing is more normal than not, over the last several seasons we <br />have been treated to extremely warm early spring temperatures. Those temperatures were great to get things <br />going, but then the inevitable hard freeze would hit putting the brakes on active growth. The turf may have <br />been green but it wasn't happy or growing for a while after that. This year ended up to be a slow start of the <br />season with soil temperatures being 5 to 10 degrees cooler in May than this time a year ago. We as <br />Superintendent's routinely try to manipulate Mother Nature, sometimes with a high degree of success and <br />sometimes with a lower degree of success. The key is knowing when to push things and knowing when to back <br />off. It's a fine line that is walked at all golf courses that deal with seasonal turfgrass. <br />Over the years I have always said that in Colorado I think it is harder to keep the turf alive in the winter versus <br />the summer. Some of the reasons being that during the winter we experience some of our lowest humidity’s in <br />addition to high winds. These two factors combined rapidly dry out turfgrass as well as other plant materials <br />found on the golf course. <br /> <br />Another key factor that affects winter turfgrass viability is exposure. Throughout the course there are many <br />different exposures that leave the turf either fully exposed or completely under snow cover for several months. <br /> <br />Throughout the winter we actively scout known problem areas for desiccation. We did have some expected <br />areas that were going to be an issue to be addressed going into the season that struggled with the reclaimed <br />water and did not reestablish as anticipated. One of our favorite techniques in determining the health of the <br />turf is "the foot rub". A simple rubbing of the turf with your foot removes the dead leaf tissue revealing viable <br />green leaf blades below. <br />Going into April we were in pretty good shape for minimal damage this season until the bottom fell out on the <br />weather. Looking at the weather station data beginning April 1st (see data on pages 8 and 9) you can see some <br />dramatic shifts in the weather and temperatures. The days preceding the largest temperature fluctuation April <br />10th we were experiencing the same warm weather as last season and the plants were beginning to come out of <br />dormancy. There was a 70° difference in highs and lows from April 5th to April 10th. There were also three <br />additional events that drove temperatures below freezing that caused turfgrass loss in a few different ways. <br />Desiccation, snow mold, crown hydration, freeze-thaw cycles, ice cover, tree root competition and shade <br />coupled with public use of the course has created several visible signs of turf loss at Coal Creek. Some quick <br />information on these types of damage is explained below: <br /> Desiccation: Winter desiccation is the death of leaves or plants by drying during winter when the plant is <br />either dormant or semi-dormant. Desiccation injury is usually greatest on exposed or elevated sites and <br />areas where surface runoff is great. Tree root competition for water also affects the quality of the turfgrass. <br />This type of winter damage can most often be found on greens that are exposed to the cold, dry, winter <br />winds. The extent of damage is dependent upon to location of the green and the length of exposure to the <br />winter air. The most susceptible green to winter desiccation is 15 due to its elevated location. We <br />experienced this type of damage on fairways, approaches, roughs and some areas of greens. <br /> <br />9