Transition to Spring

I am reluctant to refer to the recent weather as warm as it has been ten to twenty degrees below normal this week, but I am grateful for every degree above freezing at this point.  This week we have experienced a lot of melting and soon we will be able to resume working on the golf course.
Our main concern is obviously the condition of the turf beneath the snow.  As the snow and ice melt, we watch for signs of damage to the turf from disease or ice damage.  Thankfully, I have not seen anything that would be cause for alarm.
Typically after a winter with extended snow cover we would expect to find "snow molds" that grow in cool wet weather, and emerge as matted down patches of turf that sometimes appear to have a pinkish hue to them.  I have seen some signs of this in the rough and on fairways that were not treated with a fungicide in the fall.  We always treat the greens, and last fall we treated the tees and a few wet approaches to use up some product that had been on the shelf for a few years.  As far as I can tell, these areas are free from disease.
Another type of damage that we often see is from voles.  These small, mouse-like rodents burrow under the snow and feed on the grass.  Generally the damage is not severe, and often recovers once the turf resumes growth.  I actually do not mind seeing activity from these varmints, as they are a valuable source of food for foxes and hawks that live near the golf course.
The hot topic among superintendents over the last six weeks has been ice damage.  If you follow golf maintenance on twitter (and I am certain you do) you have likely seen hundreds of tweets regarding ice damage and the mad rush to remove snow and ice from greens.  There are two main schools of thought regarding this issue; clear them off ASAP or leave them alone.  I have been involved with both scenarios, and firmly believe that the best plan is to be very cautious with regard to working on greens in winter.
I have seen some extreme winters (this year doesn't make the top 5) where snow, rain, and ice storms created ice sheets up to 4"-6" thick, and there was a legitimate reason for concern.  One year I remember running our aerifier on the greens to break up the ice that had formed, and another where I used a front end loader to push 20" of snow off the greens.  At the end of these extreme winters we discovered that more damage was done to the turf by removing the ice than was caused by the ice itself, which is why I rarely do anything more than apply a dark topdressing material to help speed the melting of the ice and snow.

5th green - 3-11-2011

In my opinion, a better approach is to address ice damage long before the snow begins to fall.  First, I build my fertility programs to allow the turf to gradually enter dormancy throughout the fall.  Next, I like to make sure the greens are draining well heading into the winter.  My favorite practice is to deep-tine the greens in November at the same time I apply our heavy winter topdressing, which allows any water to drain into the soil during warm spells that occur over the winter.
The absolute best way to prevent winter damage is to maximize the amount of sun that reaches the turf throughout the year.  Any trees that cast a shadow on the green surface will favor weaker turf species throughout the growing season, and will delay the melting of snow and ice in the spring.  This is a recipe for disaster if and when we experience a truly extreme winter.  
Thankfully the weather conditions this fall were ideal for preparing the turf for winter and we did not have snow cover until the end of January.  This scenario leads me to believe that our turf will grow out of any superficial damage from disease or cold temperatures, and will be ready for another golf season if and when the temperatures return to normal.

These trees shade the 13th green throughout the year.

Shadows on 13 green