Venting Greens

Remember your first botany class in elementary school? Plants need three elements for success, right? Putting greens are no different and oxygen, water and sunlight are the staples for plant health. Taking advantage of the golf course being closed on Tuesday, we vented greens. This practice is highly important to the success of the putting surfaces through the golf season. The main purpose to venting or spiking is to allow oxygen into the rootzone. Other benefits include water percolation and continued root development.
Over the past few weeks, the greens have become firm by design. Greens become firm for a few reasons, golfer traffic, maintenance traffic (consistent mowing and rolling) and maintaining low moisture levels. A firm surface allows for optimum ball roll. When surfaces become too firm, they can build surface tension and prevent water and nutrients into the soil and surface quality begins to decline.  Spiking breaks up that surface tension and greens are receptive to recent water and fertilizer applications. The 1/4" diameter spikes are breaking through the top layer of the rootzone which is at a depth of 3.5-4"

As for immediate impact to playing surfaces, we roll them after spiking to maintain smoothness. By the weekend it will be hard to find any remnants of this practice on the green. You will notice that balls are more receptive to the green and can hold.