When does the ground start hardening up? Winter...

[rocker40]

I live down in Houston and it seems like the fairways have been ok lately. But i played a round yesterday and the ground

seems like it has hardened up for the winter. I have a hard time compressing the ball.

 

Is it me or does that happen in the winter???

[Chief Illiniwek]

Ground temperature doesn't cool down, or heat up as fast as the air. That said, a night in the 20's will freeze the ground up quickly. If the soil has any moisture any day above 40 or so, after it's been frozen, can make the soil pretty mushy.

[DaveLeeNC]

[quote name='rocker40' timestamp='1354367678' post='6003973']
I live down in Houston and it seems like the fairways have been ok lately. But i played a round yesterday and the ground
seems like it has hardened up for the winter. I have a hard time compressing the ball.

Is it me or does that happen in the winter???
[/quote]

Here in NC where the fairways are often overseeded in late fall/early winter, the fairways are also heavily watered and sloppy wet (for reasons that have nothing directly to do with the temperature).

dave

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='rocker40' timestamp='1354367678' post='6003973']
I live down in Houston and it seems like the fairways have been ok lately. But i played a round yesterday and the ground
seems like it has hardened up for the winter. I have a hard time compressing the ball.

Is it me or does that happen in the winter???
[/quote]

In Minnesota, that happens. Because the ground is FROZEN!

But that's probably not what's happening in Houston. My guess is you are playing on non-overseeded Bermuda which goes dormant in the winter and courses usually cut back on watering which results in firm conditions.

Like Dave mentioned, when they overseed, like they do for the tourists here in Arizona, it makes for a 3-month slop fest.

[Kadin 25]

When the temperature of the ground drops below 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit), it freezes. However, the ground temperature can be different from the temperature of the air above it. Layers deep within the ground may be colder or warmer than layers near the surface of the ground.
The top layer of ground may respond to conditions on the surface, but the layers below may not change as quickly. On a warm summer day, the surface of the ground can absorb heat and become hotter than the air. But the temperature a meter (a few feet) underground may be much lower than the air. In the winter, the opposite happens. The surface of the ground cools, but the layer deep underground may stay warmer than the surface. The upper layer of ground stops heat from moving between the cold air and the deeper layers of the ground. As a result, the ground insulates itself