An actual winter?

It's been a few years since we have had a memorable winter, but 2025 sure started off with some bone-chilling temperatures.  Keep in mind that January is already the coldest month, and this year we averaged almost four degrees below normal for the entire month.  

As you can see above, we only had 11 out of 31 days that were above average, and 20 that were below average.  However, despite the cold and some snow, we were actually well below normal in precipitation, with only 1/2" for the month.

You know it's cold when the local residents start showing up at the front door, looking for handouts:

While these conditions will likely have little long-term impact on the golf course, there are a number of projects we need to get working on.  Hopefully February will allow us to get caught up, and perhaps provide a few good days of golf!

Doing what can be done...

January's frigid temperatures have put a damper on our winter projects.  However we continue to work on whatever we can each day.  

Due to the challenging access, we knew that repaving of the cart path on the fairway side of #2 and #12 would require firm conditions to avoid significant turf damage.  Well, January definitely gave us some solid soil to travel across, so we took advantage of it. 

These cold conditions may be good in some ways, however they're definitely a double-edged sword for the paving contractor.  The hot new asphalt is brought to the street behind #12 green, then transferred to the "dumper" which hauls the material to the work area for installation by the paving machine and rolling.  The tricky part is getting this whole process completed before the asphalt cools off!  

Avoid "Two On and Two Off"

The USGA Green Section recently posted this tweet:

With Laurel Creek having nine foot wide cart paths, there should rarely be a need for pulling two wheels off the path.  As you can see below, the turf takes a real beating when carts pull off the paths, due to the starting and stopping in these areas.

For a bit more insight into this topic, you can check out a recent Golf Digest article:  This common golf-cart mistake is a ‘superintendent’s worst nightmare’

It's tempting, but...

For those who live on the golf course, a blanket of snow (and perhaps a day off from school) may have everyone eyeing up the mounds, anxious to pull the sleds out.  However, there are several reasons why we ask that you refrain from this activity.

Basically these fall into two categories, the things that may be hazardous to you, and the things that may be hazardous to the golf course.  On the personal safety side, sledding on the course can be dangerous due to the possibility of encountering sticks, stumps, rocks, bunker rakes, sod staples, and steep drop-offs. 

As far as the golf course goes, sledding can compact snow, leading to ice formation and uneven thawing, as well as erosion of slopes, and the possible tearing of expensive turf covers.

So while it may feel as if there is a piece of cake placed right in front of you that you aren't allowed to eat, we suggest heading to the restaurant right down the road, where sledding is permitted:  Stokes Hill in Moorestown.

A Sharp Edge

 As most golfers know, walking or driving across frosted grass can cause some serious turf injury.  So, what does the crew work on when we have frost delays in the morning?

One of the projects we address is edging cart paths.  During the growing season, this task often gets shifted down the priority list.  While we don't have paths from tee to green, there are still 3.4 miles of paths to be edged.  And with two sides to a path, that's a lot of edging to be done!

The crew has done a great job on this project over the fall, and the end is in sight.

Happy Holidays!

Once again, members of the team celebrated the end of  an agronomically challenging year by relaxing and enjoying a meal together.  These individuals make you think of the old Army ad campaign:  "We do more before 9:00 A.M. than most people do all day."     

 Laurel Creek is fortunate to have such a devoted staff.  As we close out 2024, our focus is already on the 2025 golf season.  Happy Holidays to all!

Goodnight Greens

Once again, the team needed to pivot with the daily (sometimes hourly) changes in the weather.  This past week the greens were rolled, sprayed and fertilized.  

Cover installation began on Tuesday, which was followed by a very warm (but very wet) Wednesday, with 1.25" of rain.  The skies cleared on Thursday, however wind gusts in excess of 40 mph forced a pause in placing the covers.  The initial covering of #1-18 was finally completed on Friday.

One change from last year is that we will be leaving the Clubhouse putting green uncovered this winter.  This will allow members to continue to use the putting green (although on a bumpy surface).  Perhaps more importantly, leaving a green uncovered provides the best test plot for comparing the healing time to a covered green.

Throughout the year, we find the temperatures on the Clubhouse side of the bridge to be a bit warmer than on the open golf course.  Therefore, the uncovered Clubhouse putting green still may recover slightly more quickly than an uncovered  green would on the golf course.