Golf Course Update
Winter is a reality that all golfers must face. Winter does not officially start until December 21st, however meteorological winter starts on December 1st and lasts through the end of February, lasting 91 days in total. Colder weather and shorter days have a big impact on playing conditions and golf courses no matter where you are located. In colder parts of the US, golfers may only get a few chances to play their local course during the winter months because of snow cover or extremely cold temperatures.
In colder climates, grass is either barely growing or fully dormant during winter. This means a golf course cannot recover from traffic, divots, ball marks, or any other wear and tear that happens during the winter rounds. Any wear and tear that does occur during winter can linger well into spring and relatively few rounds can still leave lasting scars when grass is growing slowly. Worn areas from traffic and accumulating divots are both good examples of damage from winter play that tends to hang around. This is why many courses are extremely protective of the primary playing areas during winter. Almost anywhere in the US, winter golf comes with some restrictions that are necessary to protect the golf course.
Golfers in colder climates are understandably excited when a warm stretch appears in the middle of winter; and courses can be packed on a warm winter day. However, it’s important to remember that a break in the cold doesn’t mean everything is back to normal. In fact, a warm day or two during winter can leave a golf course even more vulnerable to damage as frozen soils thaw and refreezes. Winter play is never easy to manage. In cold climate areas, golf course management must decide whether letting a few die-hard winter golfers out to play is worth the potential damage they might do. Golfers everywhere can make this decision easier for management by understanding the realities of the season and ending the dream of an endless summer is pretty hard to come by.
Zack and I have been consulting with one another over the past month about playing conditions due to the extreme dry fall that we have had. Now, we are faced with seeing well below normal temperatures that we have not seen at this time of year in nearly six years. We have gotten a lot of great compliments about the condition of the golf course this year and I want to thank Zack and his crew for this as well as our ownership for making this investment in Rowley Country Club to give golfers the best conditions possible. With this being said, starting Monday December 2nd, the golf course at Rowley Country Club will be closed due to the cold temperatures that we have not seen at this time of the year in nearly six years. However, this does not mean the golf course is closed for the season, we will reevaluate reopening the golf course once this cold snap ends. Before making this decision, I wanted to inform everyone about what went into making this decision about giving you additional information about winter golf and not just saying that we closed due to the cold. We are committed to giving golfers at Rowley Country Club the best playing conditions and making more and more improvements to the golf course for golfers of all abilities and ages.
In the meantime, the golf shop will be open every day from 8am until 2pm for your holiday needs during this cold snap. Membership applications for 2025 will be going out at the end of this week, so be on the lookout for it in your mailbox and email. Also, the Back Nine Tavern will be open Thursdays through Saturdays from 3pm until 8pm, so stop by for some great food and cold beverages. Thank you for being loyal and valuable players at Rowley Country Club, the staff here could not do their jobs without your support.
Regards,
Darin Chin-Aleong, PGA
General Manager