Weather or Not To Play

Over the weekend wacky weather played havoc with tournaments all across the Peace Country. The Oilmans Golf Tournament is notorious for bringing out the worst of weather but snow in June? No one was ready for that. Golf courses right across BC are reporting a slow start up to this years golf seasons. Some courses are laying the blame on the Canucks and their extended playoff run, but most are citing wet cold conditions.

Wet and cold conditions don't just make it unpleasant to play; it makes course maintenance difficult too! Really wet grass is hard to cut. It lays down, clogs the mowers and leaves unsightly clumps of clippings everywhere. Its important to differentiate between grass that is just damp from overnight sprinkler action or heavy dew. The mowers are built to handle that degree of moisture. What we're talking about here is standing water puddle time where the ball won't roll, the cup is full of water and every footstep leaves a squishy indentation. Under such conditions the mowers are better left in the shed. Not only won't they cut very well, they may actually damage the course by getting stuck, sinking in, creating ruts or causing compaction. The greens mower loses traction on very wet surfaces and can easily stall out on sloped surfaces, leaving behind chewed up turf damage that takes weeks to heal.

Most players know not to play in cold and frosty conditions. Frosted and frozen turf is easily damaged when players walk upon it or pull their carts across it. The rules of golf identify snow and ice as loose impediments, that may be removed prior to taking a shot. Frost and dew however, are not loose impediments and must be played through. Cold and wet conditions can also impact the flight and roll of the ball. Shots that would normally bounce forwards and roll out can plug or stop suddenly from the pull of wet grass. Players need to take the conditions into consideration and use more club or more force when confronted with surface moisture.

Playing or working in the rain can also be a difficult experience. The smaller mowers do not have cabs and operators are at the mercy of the elements. A hard hat is not nearly as effective as an umbrella and cold water running down one's back is not my idea of a fun time.  If I can see puddles dancing with raindrops in the morning, or hear a steady patter on the roof, then the mower won't be running that morning. It is interesting to note that in the rules of golf inclement weather, is not enough on its own to suspend or cancel a round of golf. Only winds high enough to move balls on the greens, standing water sufficient to surround the holes or the presence of lightning are cited as reasons to abandon play. I suppose common sense or a players strength of will are the determining factors on whether or not a player starts a round when its raining.

In this part of the world the weather can change suddenly. Knowing what the weather might be, or how long a given condition might stick around is useful information. The internet is a valuable source of information in this regard. The weather network provides both players and grounds crew members with excellent forecast information every day. You can check out the Ft St John forecast at http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.cabc0102 or by googling The Weather Network Ft St John. Many people have a weather forecasting app right on their smart phones.

Another very useful website is the Environment Canada Spirit River Radar Imagery site (http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=WWW) This site shows users any precipitation in the area and allows users to estimate whether a system is just passing through or will be in the area for some time. This is the site both the pro shop and the grounds crew use to determine what sort of day lies ahead.

When the weather is bad players have options. They can tough it out or they can call it a day and come back when the weather improves. Course workers are more at the mercy of the weather. Whether we work or not, course maintenance still needs to be done, and for some jobs, the longer they are left, the harder they become. Cold wet weather slows down grass growth, but it doesn't stop it completely. A string of three or four wet days in a row can really mess up a maintenance schedule. If the grass gets too far ahead of us, its very hard to catch up without scalping patches and leaving unsightly yellow patches around the course. The good news is that June and July are typically our peak months for sunshine so making the decision about weather or not to work or play should get easier as we move towards summer!

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