Is that SNOW?
Nope! Just frost. Just billions and billions of ice crystals clinging to the grass blades. So why is frost such concern or hassle? Frost is the natural freezing of humidity onto a surface. For a golf course, frost is more of a hassle and causes delays in maintenance and play. The concern with frost arises when traffic is applied to frosted turf. Pretend your finger represents a blade of grass. And on your finger tip is dozens of acupuncture needles. The needles are not painful and are barely felt, as long as no additional pressure is applied. Now, if you apply additional pressure to the needles, they're likely to puncture your finger deeper and pain will develop. This is same thing that grass blades experience with frost. Each blade of grass is covered with tiny needle-like ice crystals. Without pressure, no harm is done. But, if footprints are applied or golf cars are allowed to travel across, these ice crystals will be pushed into the tender leaf tissue and cause damage. If the damage is severe enough, the plants can be killed.
As the sun warms the air and the ground, the ice crystals will begin to melt and the threat for potential damage disappears. Please understand that frost delays are not intended to inconvenience membership play, but to protect the playing surfaces.
