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more photosQuail Run Golf Course superintendent Grant Martin checks the turf on the 18th green during preparation for the upcoming golf season at the La Pine course on Tuesday morning.
Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
Early start?
Warm weather might mean that Central Oregon golf courses will open earlier than usual this year
By Zack Hall / The Bulletin
Published: February 17. 2010 4:00AM PSTA Central Oregonian who didn't know better might think he or she had spent the last month in the Willamette Valley.
January 2010 was hardly the average winter month in Central Oregon. It might not have been balmy, but temperatures were generally warmer than normal and typical snowstorms gave way to rain.
While not the best climate for snowriders, the mild temperatures — which have continued through the first half of February — might be a good thing for Central Oregon's 30 golf courses.
“Our attitude here right now is very positive,” says Todd Sickles, general manager at ordinarily snowy Quail Run Golf Course in La Pine. “A few weeks ago when we had a break (in more-typical winter weather), we actually broke the ice on the golf course (which can damage the turf underneath) off the greens so there is no ice built up on the greens like normal. So we are very optimistic that even if some snow comes that it's going to be an earlier season opening.”
According to the National Weather Service, the average daily temperature at Redmond Airport in January was 38.6 degrees, 5.4 degrees higher than normal and well above freezing.
In contrast, January 2009 saw an average daily temperature of 32.9 degrees.
Add in about 1.4 inches of turf-watering precipitation in the first month of 2010, mostly in the form of rain, and golf courses are hopeful the doors might open a bit earlier this year.
And courses just might be in better condition if the current mild weather holds.
“That's always your biggest concern with every golf course over here (in Central Oregon) is what kind of winter did we have,” says Dan Ostrin, director of golf at Widgi Creek Golf Club in Bend. “How was the snow? How was the ice? And how did the grass come through? This mild winter, as of right now — knock on wood — it looks like everything is going to really come through. It'll be good.”
At Widgi Creek, where snow usually covers the southwest Bend course during the winter months, there was enough melting that the course was able to open its driving range for two weeks in January.
How rare is that?
“This will be my sixth season (at Widgi),” Ostrin says, “and I've never had the range open in January.”
Some golf courses in the region are taking advantage of the weather already.
Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters, which is usually shuttered this time of year, is preparing a soft opening this week in which golfers can play the course's regular greens as long as the weather permits.
The usual thin layer of frost on Aspen Lakes greens has already melted off, says Mark Shepherd, superintendent at the course. That has left the greens soft from the moisture but already showing signs of spring.
“I see the color coming into the greens, especially,” Shepherd says. “We've got a little bit of growth, and we'll probably be mowing them for the first time (this) week just to kind of smooth them out and knock some of the fuzziness off.”
Other area courses are not expecting to adjust their spring schedules. Sunriver Resort plans to open its courses at the usual time: April 17 for Meadows and Crosswater Club, and May 28 for Woodlands and Caldera Links.
But if the weather holds, the resort expects better-than-normal spring playing conditions, says Scott Ellender, Sunriver's director of golf operations.
Of course, this IS Central Oregon, where a foot of snow in late February or early March is not uncommon.
Juniper Golf Course in Redmond has already begun to phase in its regular greens.
But Patrick Reilly, superintendent at Juniper, says that damp courses and warm ground could be trouble if a deep freeze hits.
“With the hint of spring and warmer ground temperatures, you might see that cold, which could shock (the turf) if it got down to a really cold spell,” Reilly says. “But otherwise, I would say that (the mild winter) has been very good for the turf. Anytime you can see moisture (it's good) as opposed to cold, dry and windy. Those kind of conditions are not as good, especially if we are not irrigating.”
That is why many golf courses are optimistic, albeit cautiously.
At the very least, though, the mild weather has given golf courses the opportunity to perform maintenance that usually has to wait until later on the calendar.
Widgi Creek, for instance, has already begun clearing the pine needles, tree branches, pine cones and leaves that gather through the winter on the wooded track. It is a process that usually takes a few weeks, Ostrin says.
But being able to get a jump on the work should help as the golf season approaches.
“They got a head start on it,” Ostrin says of his grounds crew. “So when we do open, what's going to be nice is that they are going to get to spend more time on doing other golf course stuff and less time doing cleanup.”
When it comes to Central Oregon weather, guarantees are hard to come by.
But the run of mild weather has given most of the courses reason to be optimistic, even if the economy is far from booming.
“For the most part, this has probably been the best we've ever come through a winter and probably the best we headed into the winter, as well,” says Ron Buerger, director of golf at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, which has remained open for much of the winter. “We're not going to say that it's impossible (for a cold snap to hit). And we'll be ready for any of those things that might happen. We realize we can't control that.
“When we can be open more, (and) obviously (that helps) our chances of getting off to a good start and being ahead of our (economic) forecasts, it's exciting. We're excited for a big year.”
Zack Hall can be reached at 541-617-7868 or at zhall@bendbulletin.com.
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