We had virtually no cold weather last winter until Jan. 3, 1999. There have been no calls reporting winter injury on golf courses so far this spring. This can be largely due .to the relatively mild temperatures throughout the winter. The other factor is probably the lack of snow in the late winter. There were some reports of mole and vole damage earlier in February.
Moles are a pest that becomes evident in the fall and spring.
They live underground in burrows and produce conical earthen mounds arranged in a row. They are insectivores, preferring earthworms, but will also feed on grub larva. Mating occurs during February and March with a single litter of three to five born later in the spring. Moles do not cause direct damage to the turf but the mounds that they leave behind are unsightly. They can be controlled by trapping.