How to Care for a Golf Course During Winter

Gone are the warm days of summer and coming are the cold, icy days of winter. While not all areas of the country go into a winter freeze, for those that do, properly maintaining the golf course during the winter months can help save money come the spring.

Equipment Storage

Don’t neglect the equipment of your golf course as the winter months come. The harsh conditions can quickly destroy golf carts, clubs and other structures better left indoors. While many clubs still operate during the winter, it is important to store items properly before and after use. A golf course consulting company can help offer tips and tricks for how to properly store equipment to get the longest life out of it. Failure to store your equipment can cost the club significant money to remain operational during the spring thaw.

Project Organization

Even if the club has few to no members regularly attending it, there is still work to be done. The winter provides a great opportunity for the club to tackle projects that the warmer months make more difficult. When a lot of members are traversing the course or club house, some items simply cannot be done. However, the winter months provide the downtime needed to address any maintenance, remodeling or upgrade projects the club has in mind. Annual equipment inspections for the mowers and irrigation systems can be done during the winter. Take the time to test the water and soil to see what potential problems may be in store. By testing, you can see if you need add certain nutrients to the grass. Winter provides a great opportunity to replace sand bunkers and replace any outdated or broken equipment.

Turf Care

The course cannot be neglected during the winter months. Without the turf, what can your members play on? The last thing you want is for the snow, ice and frost to damage the grass before spring. Golf clubs are best suited to minimize the damage on their turf by preparing ahead of time. Look for areas where shade is growing over the turf and prune back those trees and bushes to allow sunlight to reach the grass. Weak turf doesn’t hold up as well as strong turf when conditions worsen. Some areas of the turf may need to be covered during the winter months. Severe winter weather can have a negative impact on the turf but covers allow the grass to have the right balance of air, moisture and heat.