Frost Holes

A temporary small area which acts as a golf green during frosty weather, especially over the winter period.

The main purpose of a frost hole is to allow play to continue on a golf course whilst protecting the greens from unacceptable, or any, damage during frosty weather conditions.

Playing on a frosted green can crush plant cells, resulting in the affected area having blackened footprints once thawing takes place and also straw-coloured leaves and tips of leaves which are dying back following being crushed. In addition, if the surface has thawed and has a wet surface but the sub-surface is still frozen then the roots at this interface can be readily torn due to a shearing action of players walking on the green. The surface is also prone to being worn very quickly, rapidly reducing the quality of the green and seeing a reduction in the quality of the playing experience.

A frost hole will typically be cut in front of a green, but positioned to one of its sides to prevent, or reduce the likelihood of, a ball from rolling through onto the green, as would occur if it was located on the approach to a green. However, due to limited space a frost hole is sometimes cut into a green approach.

The area used for a frost hole might typically be maintained at a height of 8-12mm during the later spring and summer periods, when it is not being used. This allows the area to the area to be gradually prepared from about August onwards in anticipation of use after maybe October, but obviously this depends on geographic location and prevailing weather conditions.

Maintenance might include top-dressing, overseeding, weed control and fertiliser application, along with scarification and aeration in particular, with the activities often taking place around the same time as that of work on the green. This will depend on available resources and priorities at the time, with these activities being a relatively low priority compared with works on greens, tees and fairways.

For the period when a frost hole might be used, the height of cut would be around 8mm, which would be quite adequate for its purpose, but no lower than 6mm because the required maintenance needed to achieve a suitable surface at this lower height would, in most cases, be disproportionate to what is required.

Where minimal work has been carried out on frost holes prior to August then additional preparatory work will then be needed to ensure a satisfactory surface is available for golfers, if they are needed over the winter period.