Aerafication Update

It has been one week since we aerafied the greens. They are about 75% covered over and the sand is in about 95% of the holes. They have been cut with the rough cut knifes for the week and today we put on the secondary rough cut knifes. This collected the sand and any plugs that were not brushed off. By the middle of this week, we will switch them to the regular tournament knifes. This will touch up the greens and they should be back where they were before the aerafication took place. We're expecting cooler temperatures this week and potentially a light frost at some point. We will start fairway aerafication after the herbicide runs it's course and will then slit seed. We thank you for your cooperation.

This is a must watch video for all our patrons who do not know about aeration.

It's time for Aerafication and broad leaf eradication!

Most golfers can't stand greens aeration however it's necessary. 

Aeration, spring and fall, do a number of things that keep the greens alive and healthy. One is compaction alleviation. This allows the soil to be loosely arranged so that water, fertilizer, and herbicide can get where it needs to go. 

Without aeration, the greens would become compacted causing roots to struggle to get any nutrition and water needed to live. Another reason was already mentioned; water movement. With the topdressing sand in the new holes, this allows water to percolate through to the roots more easily. Also, aerating provides gas exchange throughout the soil profile. Turf needs oxygen to thrive. Without a ready supply of oxygen it will thin out and suffocate. We also aim to remove organic matter. Organic matter will absorb it's weight in water many times over as well as fertilizers, herbicides, and fungicides. Some organic matter is important however, it's less than 5% total mass of a green that is the magic number. In order to do that, we need to take away 15 to 20% of the surface of the green. 

This years fall aeration will be on September 9th starting at 2:30 p.m. We will be done sometime Monday morning. We are also doing broad leaf eradication, fairway aerafication, and slit seeding throughout the next few weeks. The course will be looking in top shape by the end of the season/next season. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as this is necessary and beneficial.