Frost is predicted for this weekend around St. Louis so allow me a moment to explain the frost delay policy for our club. Frost is a nuisance this time of year. The last thing we want to do is delay our work schedule so we can be here longer and make our members stand around the pro shop waiting to go out to enjoy their day. The delay occurs because the millions of grass plants can be damaged if stepped or driven upon until the frost has melted. The plants energy is then used to repair the plant instead of being used to strengthen it for winter and next spring.
Frost this time of year usually can delay play until 8:30-9 a.m. This includes the practice green as well. The frost this time of year usually only covers the outer leaf of the plant. As temperatures fall well below freezing, plants can freeze completely. Delays can be up to 10-11 a.m. in this case. We open the course once the plant is pliable and cannot be damaged. Not many members come out in the winter during cold days but some do make an attempt to beat the ball around. On some of the colder days, the plants never thaw and the course is kept closed.
If you see that temperatures are predicted to be in the 30's in the morning, you can almost be assured there will be a delay unless we have wind or cloud cover which reduces the potential of frost. We will try to give the pro shop an estimate on the delay so they can assist you in planning the start of your round. I will also post it on twitter. If you don't follow me on twitter, you can check on the side of my blog for my twitter feed which will contact course opening announcements.
A great video below from the USGA regarding frost and golf. I cannot say it any better!
Also, the link for those of you whose email does not show the embedded video.
http://youtu.be/zkoWWrHzuAg
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