Even in San Diego, we are not exempt from two of the worst conditions in golf: frost delays and the dreaded, CART PATH ONLY. I've walked the course at Bernardo Heights Country Club and it is not an easy walk. So it is not an simple decision to keep the membership from driving down the fairways. Rounds will be impacted, tournaments will be hampered, and personal schedules will be disrupted. I understand the results of this decision so I thought you might like to know how it is made.
The last two days, my trusty dog and I were on the fairways by 5:45 with a flashlight to determine the cart rules. I already checked the weather station and saw the reading of .85 inches yesterday and an additional .2 inches this morning. From my limited experience with rain on this course, I know that a heavy rain (anything near 1 inch) requires about 10 hours of drying time before the fairways and rough will be good for traffic. Anything less than 1/2 inch tends to soak right in if we are not already saturated.
The goal is always to get the carts out there because people want to play golf and it is much easier and enjoyable, especially here, when you have a cart. Quite often there are a few bad holes, many bad spots, and the rest is good and firm. Then we get out some rope, some stakes, and a bunch of small marking flags and let golfers get on the turf. When more than 50% of the course needs to be roped off, which is the case this weekend, we need to make the call of cart path only.
Another variable which you may not realize is the longevity of dormant bermuda. If dormant bermuda is kept dry and above the soil line, it will last all winter and provide a playable surface. If cart traffic pushes the dormant bermuda into the underlying soil, then it becomes mud very quickly. Then we are left with bare soil until warm spring temperatures arrive. Cart restrictions are not designed to prevent rutting or major damage to the playing surface. It is the cumulative effect of traffic on a surface that is very sensitive. The restrictions this weekend will maintain better conditions next week and next weekend and maybe even into the spring.
The good news is this rain will help the bermuda rebound. I'm sure I saw turf turning green yesterday on the driving range, #4 fairway, and #17. Hydrated bermuda is less sensitive to the cold and retains color to a greater degree.
We are not far away from improved conditions, better weather, and no more frost delays. Thank you for your patience with our winter pains. We are blessed to have very few compared to the rest of the country.
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