We have just gone thru one of the wettest and coldest winter time periods since the early 90's. It's been bad golfing weather, and outside maintenance has been limited as well. So the main question asked is, when can carts be off the path? Traffic management is critical on all grasses any time of the year, but winter is tough for dormant Bermudagrass. Most golfers do not understand the dormant state of the plant. They think since the top is brown and dead looking that it should be all right to drive on it when it's wet, or frozen. Although the top of the plants looks dead, the underground and crown portion of the turf plant is alive. If you take and pull back the brown leaves, you will find green plants. The turf will return to active growth when the soil temperature ( not air temperature) returns above 60's in late spring. The soil serves as a buffer to protect healthy Bermudagrass, but when temperatures drop well below freezing that are sustained over many days, even the underground plant parts can freeze and die. The survival of the plant or the severity of the kill depends on many factors, including the health of the turf going into winter, the amount of traffic the area receives, shade, and mowing height of the turf. Lower cut turf is likely to have more damage. Golfers should be aware that the turf is still susceptible to damage even after the surface thaws. Most golfers are accustomed to frost delays - as soon as the frost burns off, play begins. Frozen soil is another matter, and often after a sustained period of freezing temperatures the course has to be closed for additional time to allow the frozen soil to dissipate. If the turf thaws on the top but remains frozen a half inch below the soil surface, cart traffic, heavy foot traffic will shear the turf from the rhizomes or roots, and results is a lot of dead turf. So as we try to do everything possible to get you the golfer back out on the course, and to minimize the potential trouble, damage can still occur and some replanting may have to happen next spring.
