What Is Frost Delay On The Golf Course?

The Hard Conversation

The dreaded topic…frost delay on the golf course. It may be the last thing you want to hear, especially before your first round. However, there are a few reasons why frost delay is implemented at Haggin Oaks and other golf courses. We talked to Jeff Anderson, MacKenzie Pro Shop Sales Floor Manager, to understand frost delay and why it’s so important on the golf course.

Frost Delay Provides Protection

Frost delay is specifically done to protect the golf course, usually in the winter. To understand how cold it has to be for frost to occur, click here. Most importantly, it protects the greens. When it gets cold enough in the morning, the greens can freeze. Even though it looks like the frost is gone, the ground underneath is frozen. So if it is walked on before it begins to thaw, the unseen root structure underneath the greens gets damaged. Some of the effects of the damage may be seen in February or March of the following year when it gets warmer.

Smiling On The Outside But Dying Within

The greens may look ok, but if the grounds are still frosty and there is foot traffic with spiked golf shoes that collect little bits and pieces of debris and rubble, the greens could be damaged. It stops the greens from being smooth. We have gone through a lot of effort to get our greens in great shape, and we want to keep them as smooth as possible for you. This is why we have frost delays. So in the future, everyone can enjoy smooth greens all year round.

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