This morning, despite the snow, we are covering the 16th green. This is the only green I decided to cover this year. Covers in Highlands can be a major challenge due to the amount of wind we receive. As you know, #16 green is the most challenging green we have on the course due to major shade issues. Green covers like this keep the green slightly warmer than the others. The main advantage we get from them is the green house effect in late winter and early spring. Heat is trapped under the cover, allowing the turf to start growing earlier than other greens not covered. This allows us to get a head start on a dense stand of turf before the green is put into play. In the next few years, we really need to address several trees on neighboring property, not owned by the club around the 16th green. In the past 14 years, I've watched this green get more challenging each year as trees get taller. You also know we struggle with the collar on the back of the green. With lack of sun, this green simply can't recover from any stress and traffic it receives. While fans are no substitute for sun, this green would also benefit from better air flow, helping keep the surface dry. When good light isn't possible, as with several greens at HCC (2,3,7,8,11,15,16) we must over compensate on other physical factors around the green. Quality turf needs a minimum of 5-6 hours of sunlight per day to be able to recover from stress. August-Novemeber, this green is only receives 1-2 hours of direct sun. Sunlight is required for plants to make food (photosynthesis) and there is no substitute! When I talk about stress on turf, this comes in many forms. Golfer traffic, mowing, rolling, topdressing and aerifying all create some form of stress to turf. Expecting green speeds of 11' daily, requires a lot of stress and requires the turf to be healthy in order to be able to recover from such stress.