Fall Aerification

This fall we are focusing on a different approach of aerification than what has normally been done in the past. First with greens, we are not seeing the build up of organic matter in the greens and they are beginning to drain well. Instead of pulling a core, we are just venting greens and seeding with bentgrass seed. We pulled a large core in the spring and feel it is better to pull cores only when necessary. This is a good time to generate some new plants to compete with the poa annua populations. Greens will continue to receive light and frequent sand applications through the fall, and playing conditions will be great.

The only exception to greens venting is the 2nd green on the Maxwell course. This green has struggled from the recent renovations to build root mass. It is the firmest green on the course and it does not play the same as the rest of the greens. It was constructed with all sand. Pulling a core allows us to add some organic matter into the root zone. This will help with building roots along with increasing water and nutrient holding to make this green more consistent with the remaining greens.

As for approaches, they are way behind greens. Many of them have difficult soils from a lack of topdressing, some don't drain well and most of all, they are all spongy from building thatch. We are getting aggressive with thatch removal by verticutting and pulling cores. We are also heavily topdressing to increase firmness. Golf is a ground game and the approach should allow a golf ball to roll or bounce up to the green. It will take a few seasons to turn the approaches into firmer playing surfaces.

Check out the video to see the process.