So does frost damage greens?
- Thread starter Captain_Black
- Start date
Mungoscorner
Journeyman Pro
I hate it when folk sit on the fence
Cannae stand splinters up my arse pmsl.
My understanding has always been that it depends entirely on the construction of the greens. There is no "one size fits all".
We have not used temps for the last three or four years. It was decided that the cost of maintaining them outweighed the cost of repairing damage to regular greens.
Our greens were ropey during spring last year, but that was down to the lack of rainfall and nothing to do with them being used during the cold snap last year, and we saw no lasting damage into the summer.
Lump
Tour Winner
We run full greens all year round. Our greens we just as good this summer as any other year. Only thing I hate with icey greens is instead of a pitch marks you tend to get holes blown in the grass.
Our club has been trialling staying on the greens in the frost. Given the amount of moss on them anyway it is unlikely to make a huge difference anyway. We always use to play on full greens on the old RA course inside the racecourse and they were great greens to putt on all year.
I've got my 2nd round Winter fourball match with Hawkeye tomorrow so personally I hope we're on the full course otherwise it does become a bit of a lottery. I have played a lot of courses where they aren't going off onto temps in recent years. Its like a lot of things and depends who you talk to. Some greenkeepers will whip them onto temps at the first sign of a frost and others will stay on there all winter.
I've got my 2nd round Winter fourball match with Hawkeye tomorrow so personally I hope we're on the full course otherwise it does become a bit of a lottery. I have played a lot of courses where they aren't going off onto temps in recent years. Its like a lot of things and depends who you talk to. Some greenkeepers will whip them onto temps at the first sign of a frost and others will stay on there all winter.
Evesdad
Tour Winner
Well we had our temp greens all marked out etc and then a few weeks back were told that these were now scrapped and that the green will used all winter so I'll let you know in the summer how they get on!
PhilTheFragger
Provider of Entertainment for the Golfing Gods 🙄
Played this morning with Imurg & CVG at Aylesbury Park
Lovely frosty start to the day, but one consequence is that you get a build up of compacted ice around the cleats and it quickly builds up into 3/4 inch lumps that make a series of nasty indentations in the greens, when you walk there.
Im sure that these indentations will spring back in time, but I would expect them to be there for a couple of days at least, resulting in bobbly greens.
Its also harder to hit the ball properly if you are suddenly taller than normal
Fragger
Lovely frosty start to the day, but one consequence is that you get a build up of compacted ice around the cleats and it quickly builds up into 3/4 inch lumps that make a series of nasty indentations in the greens, when you walk there.
Im sure that these indentations will spring back in time, but I would expect them to be there for a couple of days at least, resulting in bobbly greens.
Its also harder to hit the ball properly if you are suddenly taller than normal
Fragger
daymond
Tour Rookie
I may be corrected but I understand the one thing you should not do is to repair pitch marks on a green which may be slightly defrosted on the top but frozen below.
Our greens are on all year. No temps.
Our greens are on all year. No temps.
rickg
Money List Winner
same at ours Craw...we dont have any temporary greens and the course is open all winter. This year we hosted the jamega tour, had the greens stimping at 12.1 and in the post competition write up, the greens were described as European Tour standard.
Playing at 07:56 tomorrow......got the thermals at the ready..:thup:
Bikky73
Assistant Pro
As a bit of a wildlife/nature freak (only a bit). It depends....
Further north, more damage. The frost will cause some damage but grass is a weed and hardy. However the further north, the less light in winter time to recover from damage. The west coast has it best as its more temperate due to the north atlantic current supplying relativley warmer air than the north east with its siberian front
It also depends on drainage. Good drainage means less water to freeze and cause damage, but it does mean more regular irrigation.
Play cheap courses, they don't mind as much LOL
Further north, more damage. The frost will cause some damage but grass is a weed and hardy. However the further north, the less light in winter time to recover from damage. The west coast has it best as its more temperate due to the north atlantic current supplying relativley warmer air than the north east with its siberian front
It also depends on drainage. Good drainage means less water to freeze and cause damage, but it does mean more regular irrigation.
Play cheap courses, they don't mind as much LOL
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Same problem at our place and I try to knock off the ice before stepping on the green as I feel I'm really causing damage and I'm a lightweight ! Never mind then stepping onto a frosty winter mat and trying to stand upright !
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
Its a tradition thing... Harking back to the days when clubs had geens committees...
Grass is way more hardier than many think...
Played all through winter at my local P'nP last year and come spring/summer the greens were as good as you should expect...
Grass is way more hardier than many think...
Played all through winter at my local P'nP last year and come spring/summer the greens were as good as you should expect...
Bandido
Medal Winner
I dont know if it damages the green or not, I dont care tbh but if the greenkeeper deems it appropriate to put the temps on so be it, its what he's paid for.
I personally don't see the problem playing temp greens when the frost is hard. It generally means a shorter course and quicker to get back in the warmth. When it's bitter cold, get out keep the swing groved and have a bit of banter. I suppose it's like playing another course too making you think which glue to hit into the 'green' as its a shorter distance.
I personally don't see the problem playing temp greens when the frost is hard. It generally means a shorter course and quicker to get back in the warmth. When it's bitter cold, get out keep the swing groved and have a bit of banter. I suppose it's like playing another course too making you think which glue to hit into the 'green' as its a shorter distance.
rosecott
Money List Winner
Bandido
Medal Winner
Ha ha ha... Damned iPad! Glue, read club :-D
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
From my experience, it is utter tosh. Greens should be on. Temps should be banned. Grass is a weed. It will recover fine. I have played at courses with temps, and without. Come the spring, there is no difference. Temps are or lazy greenskeepers and weak committees.
We were due to play the 2nd round of our winter knockout. The club had been trialling playing on the full greens but they were so frozen this morning that we were back on temps. We agreed with the opposition that playing a match on temps was a lottery so we postponed the game until next weekend but knocked it round anyway. I have to be honest and say they greenkeeper got it spot on today. Not from a protecting the green perspective but from a playability one. There was no way of keeping even a well struck shot on the putting surfaces. Even trying to hit into the shorter par 3's would have been tough as there isn't anywhere short to land it.
Sometimes you have to take a pragmatic approach. I still think that using the full greens with frost won't damage them but if they aren't playable in the first place then there seems little point using them. They get a fair amount of traffic and like anything, a rest must do it some good. I hope it isn't as cold tonight and the frost may have come out enough during the day to get them back on for tomorrow
Sometimes you have to take a pragmatic approach. I still think that using the full greens with frost won't damage them but if they aren't playable in the first place then there seems little point using them. They get a fair amount of traffic and like anything, a rest must do it some good. I hope it isn't as cold tonight and the frost may have come out enough during the day to get them back on for tomorrow
rickg
Money List Winner
We played our semi final foursomes knockout today on frozen greens....we got well and truly humped! Me and my partner didn't adapt to the conditions whereas they did...they shot 4 over gross, which for a 11 & 12 handicapper, would have been a phenomenal score in the easiest of conditions...for them to do it today just defied belief......
bentowny
Hacker
i have to say, my course has never used temps unless work is being done on or around the greens, and they are fast and true in the summer so i dont see the problem
