Monday March 16 the 18-hole course opened for the year. All 27-holes are open for play. The golf course is reasonably dry for mid-March, especially considering that only two weeks ago thunderstorms produced localized flooding. Motorized carts are available. The sand bunkers are in rough condition. It will take us several days to redistribute the sand eroded by the heavy rains of recent weeks.

Saturday March 14 we began using motorized golf carts for the first time in 2009. Things are drying out nicely and night time temperatures have not been freezing the turf too much. It looks likely that we might be able to open the 18-hole course early this coming week.

Friday March 13 we opened the driving range tee. The turf covers that had been in place all winter were removed, revealing a bright green tee that has been actively growing the last several weeks. We are getting closer to opening the 18-hole course. With the severely cold night time temperatures of last week behind us, we expect the putting surfaces to green up considerably in the next few days.

The driving range tee was a lush, bright green when we

removed the covers and opened the turf tee on March 13

Friday March 6 the 9-hole course opened on regular tees and greens. This is almost three weeks earlier than last year, when the 9-hole course opened on March 26. The driving range is open on artificial turf mats. We are leaving the regular tee covered for now. The tee has been protected all winter with a cover and we want to avoid shocking it with the 20º temperatures forecast for next week. The 18-hole course will open as soon as the grass on the greens is growing enough to withstand foot traffic. Generally, that depends on how cold it gets each night.

As of Thursday March 5, 2009 the frost is quickly melting. We have observed considerable progress in just the past couple of days. The frost is out of the ground in some fairways and roughs, and is thinning on tees and greens. A nice warm rain would be a big help. It also helps if night time temperatures stay above freezing.

The driving range practice tee was covered all winter and the protected turf under the covers is bright green. We want to avoid shocking the lush green turf with a blast of cold weather when we remove the covers, so we will look for a window of several days where the low temperature is forecast to not drop too far below freezing. Ten day weather forecasts have been erratic lately, so we can't hazard guess as to when the tee will open, but we are watching it closely.

When Do We Open The Golf Course For The Season?

9-Hole Course - We open the 9-hole course as soon as the frost is out of the greens. When there is frost in the greens, the layer of frozen soil prevents roots from growing and prevents water from draining down through the soil. The greens are inordinately wet because all moisture is trapped between the surface and the frost line. Once the frost line dissipates, the moisture trapped at the surface quickly drains away.

Because the greens are mostly made of sand, they are the first part of the course to freeze and the last part of the course to thaw out. A good indicator of the presence of frost is ice on our lakes. Normally, the greens are free of frost within a few days of the the last of the winter ice melting off the lakes.

How Can We Tell How Much Frost is Still Down There?

Why Do We Use Winter Turf Covers On The Practice Tee But Not On The Greens?

18-Hole Course - We open the 18-hole course as soon as the creeping bentgrass on the greens is growing enough to be mowed. Depending on the weather, this is usually a week to ten days after the frost is out of the greens.

Average Date of Course Opening  - We typically open the 9-hole course around the middle of March and the 18-hole course toward the end of March. Only four times in our history have we not opened in March. Twice we were lucky and opened in February. Twice we were not so fortunate and did not get open until April.

The earliest that we have ever opened the course on greens was February 25 - the course was as green as mid summer and we were able to use motor carts. The latest that we have ever opened was April 8.

The bad news is that when the course opens in February, it does not stay open. Things tend to even out weather wise and bad weather in March can close us down if the greens freeze again. On the other hand, if the course does not open until April, it usually remains open from that date forward.

In 2006 we opened the 9-hole course March 10 and the 18-hole course March 30.

In 2007 we opened the 9-hole course March 20 and the 18-hole course March 24.

In 2008 we opened the 9-hole course March 26 and the 18-hole course April 2.

In 2009 we opened the 9-hole course March 6 and the 18-hole course opened March 16.