Frost & Its Causes

Once again this morning we had frost which led to a short delay.  But while informing the pro shop and coming up with a plan to get the golfers off as soon as possible someone stated there could not be frost because it wasn't in the thirties.  Let me assure you there was frost and on the golf course the temperature reached 38 degrees.

Here are some facts on frost:  First, the temperature gages on the walls at you home or at the pro shop show only the temperatures in areas where there is radiant heat of the building and concrete.  Second, I have seen frost in temperatures as high as 44, and not seen any in temperatures as low as 36 degrees.  So why such a big temperature range?  Well there are many factors that led to the development of frost including but not limited to dew point, night irrigation, humidity, wind or lack there of, shade and of course temperature.

The point is to always check with the pro shop before entering the golf course if the temperature is below 48 degrees or 50 at your home.  Due to the topography of golf courses and other issues frost can be waiting for you to guess wrong and leave permanent damage to the turf as in the picture below caused by my team.

Damage Near 9's Green By My Team -- Still There After a Month