ASHS 2024 Conference

Golf courses in the northern regions of the United States and Canada experience occasional damage from winter stresses. This damage can sometimes be very severe, resulting in substantial financial impacts. Winter damage to turfgrass surfaces affects golf course finances in three primary ways: pre-winter maintenance costs, post-winter repair expenses, and revenue losses due to delayed openings. In 2022, a survey was conducted among golf course superintendents in the northern USA. and Canada. This survey collected data on the causes of winter injuries, the extent of damage across the golf course and various management practices employed. Preliminary results have shown that on average the annual costs incurred for preventing winter injuries were between $12,291 and $13,790 and the additional costs resulting from winter injuries ranged from $7,452 to $8,951 per golf course.