How Did The Golf Course Winter?

Published April 2, 2008

Well, the snow is still hanging on. This is the last of the snow since the recent snow melt and I hope the last of the snow for the season.

As far as ice damage, it appears as though there is none. Yahoo! That's good news. Although the greens faired pretty well, the rough does have some significant snow mold damage. Some areas worse than others but overall about average as far as snow mold goes in the rough areas.

The photo above is a close-up of Pink Snow Mold. The cottony growth is the active fungus. It's similar to the growth you might see on the leftovers sometimes forgotten in the back of your refrigerator.

Why do some areas have more snow mold than others? In order for the fungus to grow there are several factors involved. In general these include; The right conditions such as temperature and moisture as well as light levels and a suitable host. When all of these conditions come together in a favorable manner the fungus starts to feed and multiply. The low wet areas are more susceptible because they are more often wetter and hold snow for longer periods. One of the most important aspects is the host. Some grasses are more tolerant of snow molds and resist infection from this pathogen. Other grasses are highly susceptible and the results are indicative of what's shown in the photo above.

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