Frost Damage

frost damage in rough on 18

It's the time of year again to begin worrying about frost.  Walking or driving on frosty turf can cause significant damage to the plants.  The basics of frost are that the cold air freezes the dew that is secreted out of the leaf.  When the dew freezes hard enough, and the leaf gets stepped on, the leaf can break causing the area that was walked or driven on to appear brown. 
We get comments all the time in the pro shop that "my car temperature said it was 40 degrees it can't be frosty", or "I will just chip and putt until the frost is gone on the course."  Here at the course if the air temperature is below 39 degrees we will generally have frost.  The air on the golf course and close to the ground is significantly cooler than the air around buildings or along a street.  And frost happens on all turf areas, including the driving range, so it is very important to stay off all turf areas until the frost is gone.