Spring Hope Floats

Have you ever looked out at your yard one and what you see is a plush, thick, healthy yard? Then a week and no rain later, the same plush yard looks like an Arizona Desert? Welcome to the life of a golf course Superintendent. It is like studying for a test in which you knew all the questions, just so show up and have all the questions changed.  Especially spring in Michigan when it’s 65 one day and 25 the next.

Every fall in Michigan, late in the fall typically, our Superintendents spray a Snow Mold Protectant. It literally is just that, a chemical that protects the grass from snow mold. As the snow starts to melt and the grass begins to reappear, most of us are excited about the new spring and getting the dust off the clubs. The folks in charge of keeping the grass green for all of us to enjoy, however, have different anticipation in spring.   

Below is a picture of common snow mold:

You may see it in your yard, in the ballpark, even the golf course. Spraying the protectant in the fall minimizes the damage/exposure it will wreak in the spring. Even the worst cases are treatable, still not an easy feeling for our underappreciated and anxious Superintendents.

So as spring springs, the weather breaks, and the birds chirp, keep an eye out for the snow mold or hopefully lack thereof. In spring, hope floats for the superintendent.