Though certain greens have elevation or exposure to sunlight to help keep them clear, others need a helping hand. While the ice itself can be difficult to remove, we went around to each troubled green to clear the snow off any icy patches. Hopefully the warmer weather and direct sunlight over the next few days will eliminate the ice, and avoid having all that melts freeze again overnight.
Fairways are another matter. As seen above, the easiest solution is to avoid the problem all together. Where the lower portion of 13 fairway is heavily covered (Top), the raised portion which saw a drainage installation this past fall, has remained relatively ice free (Bottom). Water must be able to linger on the surface before it can form a sheet of ice- something that the presence of proper drainage makes quite hard to do. For those fairways that have seen a build up of ice, we are employing a simple solution: cracks in the ice should aid in the exchange of gas which we're hoping will avoid any suffocation. What better to crack ice than something large and extremely heavy?
Think warm thoughts,
Elliott Dowling
