As we wind down the year we are still waiting on those winter temperatures to move in. This week we saw highs in the low 80's with cooler temps on the way for Christmas. This has been a busy fall at Golfcrest as we have extended our high mowing frequency right through December. Usually this time of the year we are already concentrating on tree trimming and drainage projects. We have found ourselves still mowing rough and cleaning up leaves into December. This is not necessarily a bad thing for the grass. If you can remember last year at this time we had already had snow, record cold and heavy rainfall before Christmas. All areas of the golf course had become completely dormant by the first weeks of December.
As a result of the warmer temperatures our tee boxes, fairways and greens have stayed green and continued to grow creating a more plush playing surface than years past. We have continued spraying fertilizers in these areas through the last few months to keep them growing as long as possible. The first picture below is a picture I took last year around the same time in December. The following pictures are from December 2010. If the warmer weather sticks around through January we can expect a great start to 2011.
Carter Hindes
Golf Course Superintendent
