Cold weather measures for greens

When it gets cold for a prolonged period, we cover four of our greens with a lightweight textile cover that insulates the turf (# 5, #10, #11, and #13) because they had freeze damage in past years. The covers help retain heat and magnify the suns rays to keep the ground underneath from freezing. These are newer sand greens that got "freezer burn" two years ago when it got down into the teens for five days in a row. During that stretch it was very dry and it got windy the last day which burned the turf. We also cover the rest of our newer sand greens with a layer of sand to insulate the turf from the cold and wind. #1, #2, #15, #16, and #17 all were sanded heavily last week as insurance against the cold. When conditions warm up, the sand is scooped up and the rest blown off the green surface. The photo below shows Genaro and Mario spreading sand on #5 green.