Brown Greens

After the heavy frost hit Southwest Florida a transformation of the countryside took place. Almost overnight the green lawns and trees turned brown. Nowhere was this more noticeable than at the golf courses where the perfect, lush grass on the greens turned to a chocolate brown. The courses recently went through the over-seeding process to prepare for winter.

This causes the greens to have a different texture after cutting and insures a good quality grass to please all the northern golfers who come for winter respite. Theresa and I play with a group of seniors every Friday and for many it was the first time they saw brown greens. The speed and texture was the same as live grass but the illusion caused many to say they would not play there anymore.

We got used to it after few holes and were surprised to find little or no difference from live grass. We better get used to it as it will take several months to correct the situation. Brown lawns are everywhere and after the initial shock there was acceptance as we are victim of the climate change. There will be a saving of water and other fertilizers so that will be a positive benefit. So we have to get used to brown greens and lawns, at least for the time being.