An Ounce of Prevention

Aerification is arguably the single most critical maintenance practice performed on all golf courses. Definitely the most irritating to players but extremely important to the survival of the grass plant during the summer months.  Aerification is the ounce of prevention that's definitely worth a pound of cure. Considering all of the course maintenance activities, aerification represents a small time commitment but yields a substantial benefit to the overall health and performance of the turf.          

For the past five seasons, a process called Dryject has essentially replaced our conventional method of core aerification.  Sand and water injected at high pressure penetrates the green surface depositing a 4" to 5" column of sand without the surface disruption associated with core aerification. Under normal conditions, greens receiving the Dryject treatment are lightly brushed and mowed the same day and within a few days the holes are nearly undetectable.

However, an equally important component of a non coring aerification strategy is weekly sand topdressing applied every Monday throughout the growing season.  Considering thirty four weekly applications per season, we have accumulated a 6 inch layer of sand over the past 15 years.  As a result, the poorly drained heavy clay soils used to construct the greens in 1957 are now covered with a 6"sand cap that provides a smoother, firmer, and better drained putting surface. Without the 6" accumulated layer of sand, the Dryject process would not be adequate to provide the proper aeration to our greens  And, in some cases, in-spite of the significant topdressing accumulations and the biannual Dryject process, certain greens require additional methods of aerification.

DryJect equipment performing sand injection

Weekly light topdressing (1 cu.ft/M) applied every Monday

                











Considering all eighteen putting surfaces, each green is not created equal.  Their differences range from construction methods, shape, square footage, slope, drainage or the lack of, traffic and environment/location.  As a result of their intrinsic differences, many greens require different methods of management including aerification practices.  While nearly all the greens have responded favorably to the Dryject/weekly topdressing process, some require a more aggressive approach to ensure their survival when placed under stressful conditions.  Greens without any internal or poorly functioning drainage are the most difficult to manage and exhibit the first signs of decline under stress.  Annually, specific areas on each green exhibit decline usually associated with player traffic patterns, mowing, maintenance equipment, and areas where surface water accumulates or exits the green surface.  Reoccurring seasonal decline is an indicator that certain areas of the green require more aerification.

Deep coring tine at 7" depth

Filling holes with sand topdressing

This April, in an addition to the Dryject process, portions of greens and a few entire greens will undergo a deep core aerification using a 7" tine.  Deep aerification provides greater aeration, improves downward drainage, and relieves compaction issues in high trafficked areas. For most greens, less than 1% of each green will require the deep core aeration process and is mostly confined to the edge of the green and collar areas.  Other greens may require a greater portion if not the entire green. Although the recovery time is longer for the core aeration process, the benefits outweigh the minor inconvenience.        

Brooming sand into holes