Aerification is Complete!

We have successfully completed our spring greens aerification. All went well till we woke up today to hurricane force winds. Through a little extra hard work, the staff weathered the elements to get things completed. I would expect that the recovery from Aerification should be good this year. A heat wave is expected this weekend which will help warm soil temperatures and encourage growth. Typically we see complete coverage of the aerification holes within ten days and the greens return to normal putting speed within 14 days. By the time the Club Championship gets here the beginning of May the putting surfaces should be excellent.

Here are a few photos from the last three days:








This is the Vertidrain Machine attached to a tractor. It uses a 3/4" in Diameter solid tine that is 10" long to shatter the soil at a depth of 6-9". This machine is crucial in making sure water will flow through the soil profile.








On the right is the machine that pulls a core out of the surface of the green. This time we went with a 1/2" diameter core to a depth of 2" and set on a 1.25" by 1.25" spacing. The removal of the core is crucial in allowing water to penetrate the dense turf canopy.




This is the labor intensive portion of the job. All of the cores are wind-rowed and then picked up with shovels and removed from the greens. After that back pack blowers are used to remove any leftover plugs and debris.

The greens are then mowed to help clean off the surface and then the sand is applied. We use 75 tons of Dried #30 Silica Sand. Remember that 75 tons equals 150,000 pounds. It is a big job to get all that material moved around the course and applied to the greens. Once the sand is applied the drag mat is used to work the sand into the holes.

After the dragging of the sand, a granular fertilizer and large amounts of water are applied to help settle the sand into the holes and start the recovery process. Over the next week the greens will continually be rolled to help promote surface smoothness and brushed with push brooms to aid in the absorption of the sand by the turf canopy.