Merrick Mondays: Winter Weather Prep (And What Can Happen)

The Clubhouse office called me one winter and said there was a woman trapped in her living room with flooding water coming from the golf course. She called and said she lived in a condo next to the third green at Elkridge Estates. It was pouring down rain in late winter, and I ran to the third green as it wasn’t far from my office. It wasn’t an easy run because I was trying to run on three inches of solid ice covering about one foot of snow. Upon arriving I found and older woman, in her pajamas, standing on her sofa because the water was still rising in her condo and was now at a depth of about four inches. What to do?

I refer to earlier blogs about what we in the Turf Business do in the wintertime here in the Mid-Atlantic, and many other places that experience winters with snow and ice. Remember the club member that I wrote about who asked me if all we did was read the newspaper all winter?

I quickly looked around to see where the water was coming from to cause the flooding in her condo while she screamed and yelled at me for causing this situation. Then I spotted the snow and ice covered drain that had not been cleared before the heavy rainstorm started, just outside her sliding glass doors. There were flashes of lightning as I stood in flooding waters almost knee deep now, to bend down and clear the drain. It quickly cleared as the large drain took the water level down and the water in her condo receded rapidly. She had just finished telling me that if she had a gun, she would shoot me as the maintenance men were knocking on her door. I explained that they should clear the drains after snowstorms, particularly if there is solid ice on top. Water runs fast on top of ice.

After being around this area for sixty-eight years, I have realized that the weather here is like politics. It swings from one extreme to another every so many years. We went through many warm winters recently and it seems to be swinging back. Right now, we have about eight inches of snow covered by four inches of Icey sleet. My mind quickly goes back to my days as a Golf Course Superintendent and those things that kept me up at night during the winter. Being semi-retired, I am clearing ice and snow away from my house drains and lower windows. I am also digging channels in my front lawn to move water away from my house if rain or a quick meltdown happens.

In the turf business you need to be prepared for winter desiccation, winter disease, ice kill, and flooding. Here are some great reads.

Ice Kill – “The key question for anyone dealing with ice is when did you start your ice clock?”

Current situation of ice on putting greens – (Read Here) (Watch Here)

Crown Hydration, Etc.

Researches Don’t Agree – Think Twice Before Removing Ice

Winterkill, Penn State – Winterkill of Turfgrasses

Turfgrass Winter Diseases

Turfgrass Diseases: Gray Snow Mold (Causal fungus: Typhula incarnata)

Turfgrass Diseases: Pink Snow Mold (Causal fungus: Microdochium nivale)

Turfgrass Disease Issues During Winter | Turf and Ornamental Pest Management

-Mark S. Merrick, CGCS Retired

Introducing ‘Merrick Mondays’, a segment where we hear from Mark Merrick, our resident brand Ambassador, Chief ‘Cool” Officer, and general source of wisdom and secrets of the universe, to spotlight a dose of interview-style content, weekly.