Due to the inland locale of Olde Florida Golf Club, most
winters we will receive a couple frosts. When frost occurs, the turfgrass is damaged and the leaf blade turns brown. Occasionally conditions are
favorable for a "hard" frost resulting in a complete blighting of the turf canopy, but normally our frosts are “patchy”. When a frost is light, or it’s limited to
just one day, there are variances in frost formation and leaf damage. The
variances are related to the turf canopy height, density and moisture level.
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| Rough at Olde Florida Golf Club after a "patchy" frost |
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| #4 green complex after a hard frost |
On rare occasion we will receive a hard frost, or multiple
frosts in a short time period and the rough can turn completely brown. “How
long will the rough be brown?” is a common question when this occurs. Unfortunately,
it’s difficult to provide a definitive answer to the inquiry. The rough, like all
of the playing surfaces at Olde Florida, are bermudagrass. Bermudagrass is
a warm season perennial species adapted to tropical and subtropical climates.
It grows best under extended periods of high temperatures, mild winters and
moderate to high rainfall. In general, extended temperatures below 30°F kill
the leaves and stems of bermudagrass. While it will be slow, research has demonstrated that
bermudagrass will continue to grow with night temperatures as low as 34°F, if
daytime temperatures are near 70°F.
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| A hard frost around the practice green at Olde Florida |
In general, bermudagrass grows best when the average daily
temperature is above 75°F. Soil temperature, as influenced by air
temperature, is also very important to the growth and development of
bermudagrass. Soil temperatures above 65°F are required for significant growth.
The optimum soil temperature for root growth is around 80°F.
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| Checking the soil temperature on a tee at Olde Florida |
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