The 8th green continues to develop well under the cover of white. Temperatures under the cover average about 6-10 degrees warmer than normal and most importantly, moisture is trapped helping the turf not dry out under the low humidity of winter.
The picture below shows how lush it is compared to the surrounding grasses. We are mowing the green about once per week and applying sand topdressing and other minerals on a regular basis as we continue to mature the green.
As many have heard me say before, new greens especially USGA greens take 3-5 years to stabilize. When I say this, it refers to the below surface conditions. The soil begins to stabilize as organic matter improves while we try to manipulate the surface conditions. As it ages and matures the surface will slowly follow suit and develop it's own character with the breaks and overall movement becoming more pronounced every year.
We will be a little more careful of the conditioning this year as we try to take a more protectionist approach with conditions peaking this fall, when conditions will again become favorable to grass growth. We hope you enjoy the 8th green and will start to see the character of the hole as the year moves on. For those wondering when it will open, we are planning on having it ready before opening day with everything depending on how the end of winter and beginning of spring shape up.
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