As I have mentioned in previous posts, we recently moved to Florida. No real surprises other than stumbling into and sprinting (well, maybe more of a slow jog) away from two snakes of undetermined origin and eight to ten early morning temperatures in the low 30’s. The latter being a bit problematic for my early morning outdoor showers! (And yes, this is a choice. We do have indoor plumbing.)
I was scheduled to work (Behind the Counter) on the first of our cold mornings. As is my routine, I pulled into the parking lot around 6:40, punched-in, walked into the Pro-Shop, logged onto the “Golf Now” site, confirmed my starting cash, reviewed the tee-times for the day (noting special instructions/greens fees) and wrapped things up by cleaning the front door windows and tidying up the merchandise. I was ready to roll! At 6:55, somewhat unexpectedly, our Superintendent called into the Pro-Shop declaring a frost delay until at least 9:00. Huh! A frost delay in Florida!
Well, this required some scrambling Behind the Counter as tee-times (starting at 7:30) would be backed up for at least an hour and a half on a booked tee sheet. Not knowing what to expect, I braced myself for a host of unhappy patrons and a more than challenging morning.
To my surprise, many of the patrons were reasonably compassionate, however all were disappointed, doing the math, sorting out the balance of their day and making decisions. Some needed to cancel their tee times due to tight windows on flights back home.
As the morning progressed, with a minimum of twenty patrons milling around the intimate Pro Shop and a similar number passing time in the 19th Hole, a patron entered the Pro Shop, learning of the frost delay, proclaimed (in a booming voice), and I quote, “FROST DELAY?! THERE IS NO FROST DELAY! I TRAVELED FROM THE NORTH (wasn’t quite sure if he was referencing Punxsutawney, PA or Crystal River, FL) AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO FROST!”
I briefly closed my eyes, allowing myself a few minimalistic, side-to-side wags of my head. I began to think of the bountiful merits of a fabricated frost delay. Here is my expansive list: Impulse buying opportunities in the Pro Shop and the 19th Hole.
That’s all I got!
The same patron that pontificated on the frost delay would most assuredly be the first person to complain about the steps and time needed to repair the damaged fairways and greens and how he was inconvenienced by that process. Some folks are downright fascinating.
Frost: Frost forms when an outside temperature cools past the dew point. The dew point is the point where the air gets so cold, the water vapor in the atmosphere turns into liquid.
(From Golficity.com); “Frost is nothing more than frozen dew that crystalizes on the grass. Being composed of 90% water, a grass blade freezes very easily, thereby making the normally pliable grass rigid and inflexible. Once frozen just the normal act of walking on a frosted course will cause the grass plant to break and rupture cell walls. The problem lies in that once the membrane is ruptured; future regrowth of the grass blade is significantly hindered. Golf course grass, mowed shortest on the fairways and greens and therefore less robust than longer patches, is naturally more susceptible to breakage.
If a frost delay is ignored, immediate damage is not seen. About 48-72 hours after membrane breakage has occurred the grass will turn brown and die. The destruction of the grass, especially on the putting surface, opens the door for the growth of weeds and disease, thus compounding the issue and further devolving the overall condition of the course.”
28.5553º North/82.3879º West:
Average High: 82.2º
Average Low: 61.2º
Average Low in January: 44.8º
Average Temperature: 71.7º
Average Precipitation: 52.5”
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The back nine can only get better!
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