Data Collection

 


Periodically through out the winter Hugh and I will brave the elements to check on the turf beneath

The data logger and probe used on the course.

 the snow.  It helps us to understand how the particular winter conditions affect the outcome of the greens in the spring.  One of the tools we use for tracking the conditions is a data logger.  Data loggers are devices designed to record both the ambient (air) and the soil temperature.  As you can see from the picture, each data logger has a cylinder, which tracks the ambient temperature, and a three foot probe, which tracks the soil temperature.  In the late fall the data loggers are installed at predetermined green sites. Similar to a thumb drive, the data is store within the device and down loaded on to a laptop via USB interface. 

Capturing data in the spring, 2010



 At our current rate of recording, ever four hours, the data loggers have an enormous capacity to store data and remain at the site for the entire winter. The golf course currently owns seven data loggers. When deciding where to put the data loggers we consider which sites are going to give us the best overall picture of the conditions, and how our tarping system affects those conditions.  For example, where both 12 and 13 green are double tarped, a data logger is installed on 13 to track conditions.  Number five green, which is single tarped and in relative proximity to 13 green, also has a data logger.  This way we are able to make comparisons between the conditions under a double and single tarp. We also place a data logger on the bare surface of ten green to act as a control.  The temperature is tracked on the surface of green under the tarp (if present) and at a two to three inch depth in the soil, where the roots have the largest mass.  These recordings started

Digging the data logger on 10 green Feb. 18, 2011

 when we first began using tarps on the greens during the 2009/2010 winter, which as winters go, was perfect for the recovery of the turf in the spring.  Because of this we can use the winter of 2009/2010 as a bench mark to compare coming winters.  Eventually we can build a library of historical data that will help to determine the out come of turf in the spring.  In a more short term application the data loggers are invaluable in helping to determine when to remove the tarps.  Like all plants, environmental conditions dictate growth rate, and in the spring the conditions under the tarps can change rapidly. As the spring approaches and the snow melts, we collect the information on a more frequent basis and use it to help determine when to take the tarps off.