For your reference, I have attached a reply from evergreens sales agent that discusses cost. 

Their website indicates it warms the greens (for golf) and allows the golf clubs to open much earlier. I think Goulbourn has used all its available grant money for this and next year so I am not sure they will buy it.

At least two clubs here in Ottawa had severe winter damage this year. Goulbourn has recovered a lot but still has a large number of 'holes'. I understand Almonte is still in very bad shape.


​----------------------------------------------------------------

Chris Sheppard <chris@allturf.ca>

Jun. 29 at 8:06 a.m.
Thanks Wayne 
Assuming these are breathable covers ? 
10 year pro rated warranty    .31cents per sq / ft 
12 year pro rated warranty    .32 cents per sq/ft 
This cover radiates 25 % more heat 

120 x120 x.32 = $4608
120 x 120 x .31 = $4464 

Thank you 
Chris

Do you have any position on the use of winter sport field covers for greens such as those made by Evergreen http://evergreenturfcovers.com/

Wayne


Hi Wayne.

Good question. I don’t know of any lawn bowling club that has covered their greens for the winter. I know that one fall at Burlington they reseeded a large patch on their south green and covered it with a piece of cover they got from a local golf course. The part that was covered was more advanced than the rest of the green in early spring.

Some golf courses use them and some don’t. Hidden Lake covers their greens every fall. They are the only one around here. I will ask around and let you know.

If you can afford to buy the cover and have the manpower to install it, I am sure it would work well but it is not cheap to buy and not easy to lay down on your green. It has to be well- secured to last the whole winter. If not, then with the first wind storm it will be gone.

Hope this helps.
Charles

Do you have localized dry spots on your green? These areas appear blueish and water beads off the surface. If you take a core sample the ground underneath will be dry even after watering.

You may want to try a wetting agent to resolve the problem.

You can use a product called RootZone eXel Pellet RX 0-2-1 (pictured below) sold by Ontario Seed Corporation. For small areas it can be applied with a watering can. At room temperature the product is solid but for these small applications a 3-5 second cook in a microwave produces liquid. Add 5 ml of product to two gallons of water and soak the area of concern.

For large areas a water filter housing (pictured below) containing the whole solid puck is needed. The housing is interconnected by garden hoses to a water tap and lawn sprinkler. The wetting agent is applied by watering. Unless you have a self-propelled lawn sprinkler, it needs to be moved manually. Some clubs may be able to install the filter housing directly into their green irrigation system.

The cost is around $230 for 6 containers, which will treat 11,000 m2. Water filter housings start around $45.
​
You will also need fittings to connect the filter housing to garden hoses.

The second turf seminar was held on Sunday, June 23, at University of Guelph.

Forty people attended the seminar and had lots of good comments about the session

The photo below shows the attendees learning how to use plugs for patching bare patches