When Can We Play Golf Again?

It may be hard to imagine when looking at the snow pack that still covers the ground, but spring is less than five weeks away.

Many see the coming of spring as synonymous with dusting off their golf clubs and hitting the links. But what will our area golf courses look like after the deep snow blanket melts? Will it thaw in time for courses to open as scheduled? Here’s what several area golf course superintendents have to say:

Al Adaskaveg is Superintendent of Golf Courses for West Hartford. He has worked at for 26 years, and said that this is the most snow he has ever seen on the course.

Rockledge’s paved cart paths are cleared on a regular basis for use as walking trails, and that also enables Adaskaveg to see bits of grass where the snow along the edge has melted. “It’s still hard to say, but the turf looks to be in pretty good condition. There is actually very little frost because the snow acts as insulation,” he said. Last year Rockledge opened in mid-March, and late March is typical, but this year they hope to open the course by the first or second week of April.

“We still have about 18 inches of snow on the ground, and if there is any left when it gets close to springtime, we will go out and remove the rest of the snow from the greens to prevent the freezing/thawing cycle which is what can really cause damage,” said Adaskaveg.

Across town at , Golf Course Superintendent Greg Stent is a bit apprehensive. “Just because it’s the dead of winter doesn’t mean we’re not thinking about it. This amount of snow pack and ice cover can be pretty detrimental to putting greens. There can be disease hidden under the snow, or dead grass.”

If the snow hangs around a few more weeks, Stent said they would have to go out and plow some of the greens. Wampanoag opened its golf course on March 10 last year, but they usually aim for April 1. “We will definitely be open by the Master’s on April 7,” he said.

Michael Wallace, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Simsbury Farms in Simsbury has worked in New Hampshire, so he is accustomed to dealing with this volume of snow.

“The key will be how fast the snow melts over the next four to six weeks. It also depends on how much ice is underneath the snow,” Wallace said. He plans to remove some of the snow cover to open up areas where the ground can drain. He will also put sand down as a darkening agent to better absorb the sunlight and aid in the melting process.

“We’ll have to help guide the water off the course,” Wallace said. What they really try to avoid is crown hydration – damage caused when the turf’s saturated cells rupture and die due to significant temperature fluctuations as the ground freezes and thaws. Wallace hopes to see the course open by early April, but said it depends most of all on the weather during late March.

The golf course at Hawk’s Landing Country Club in Southington opened on March 15 last year. General Manager Dave Rustico said it will definitely be later this year. “We usually open on April 1, and it’s always our goal to be open by Good Friday. Luckily that comes late this year,” he said.

Rustico is hoping for a quick melt, and said they need a week without snow on the ground to pick up branches and otherwise ready the course for play. “We still have several feet of snow on the course, so it’s hard to tell if there has been any damage,” said Rustico.

Charles Babcock, Superintendent at Tunxis Plantation in Farmington, is keeping his fingers crossed. “It’s too early to tell what’s going to happen. The snow itself is okay – pure snow pack without a lot of ice. It insulates the ground and is actually a pretty good thing,” Babcock said.

Too much rain in the spring, a prolonged period of freezing and thawing, or a quick melt could be detrimental to the condition of the course. Tunxis Plantation opened on March 7 last year, and they hope to be open by April 1 this year.

“It’s looking very white!” joked Brian Johnson, Superintendent at Blue Fox Run, when asked about the golf course’s condition. Johnson has some concern about snow mold damage, but he said that the snow essentially protects the turf and prevents wind damage as well. Johnson’s main concern is flooding, due to the course’s proximity to the Farmington River.

“What I worry most about is a flood; we have nine holes close to the river which could be completely under water,” he said. Otherwise, the course itself drains well, but the opening time – typically late March or early April – really depends on the weather. “If the snow goes fast, who knows?” said Johnson.

All the course superintendents seem to agree that late March’s weather is critical. And like the rest of us, they are eagerly anticipating the beginning of spring.