We understand and can relate to the desire to get out on the golf course during some warm(ish) winter days. However, while it may seem somewhat counterintuitive, there is actually greater risk of causing turf damage now than during periods of extremely cold weather when the soil profile is completely frozen throughout.
In the same way that soil freezes from the top down, so too does it thaw out from the top down. When this occurs, the moisture on the surface can't infiltrate the frozen soil below, resulting in a mushy top layer, and ice beneath it. As the pliable surface layer shifts under foot (or cart tire) it can shear away the roots from the solid frozen layer. From a golfer's perspective, you typically won't see the damage from root shear when it occurs.
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| Pockets of snow remained on the course into the weekend. |
The USGA has many great educational turf videos, including this short illustration of root shear:
This freezing/thawing cycle can also make evaluating course conditions tricky. With temperatures dropping below freezing at night, that upper layer often develops a new crust. The result is that each morning, it may feel as if the course is firm. But once it warms up during the day, and the surface layer thaws, the afternoon conditions will feel extremely soft again.
Again, we know everyone's itching to get out on the course when there's a beautiful winter day, but it is still February, and we're playing the long game--we want the course in good shape when Opening Day, 2022 arrives!
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