Aeration Reminder
After a long golf season the greens are in need of some relief. The best medicine is aeration, which is scheduled for next week. Hopefully hurricane Irma will cooperate.
We've modified our method of aeration over the years and are always looking for ways to improve the process. Achieving a win-win-win outcome is very difficult, but we enjoy the challenge of continually trying to improve. We need a win for greens, a win for golfers, and a win for staff.
First and foremost we need a win for the greens. That means adequately preparing them for the coming season. The line between overdoing it and not doing enough can be very fine. The aggressive process of aeration can damage them if we aren't careful, but we have to push the envelope if we are going to get results.
We also want a win for golfers. In theory if we get a win for greens, that should satisfy the golfers. However, the wait for greens to fully recover from aeration can seem like an eternity to avid golfers (me included). The timing of aeration and the methods used have a big impact on recovery time. A speedy recovery is a win for golfers. It can be tough to get that win on top of the win for greens.
Lastly we must try and get a win for the staff. With a small team we must refine the process to make sure it can be done in the window of time allotted. Unfortunately our seasonal staff is not here when we aerate in either the spring or fall. It's easy to out kick our coverage and create more mess than we are capable of cleaning up in two days. New equipment that makes the process easier and more efficient has helped tremendously. An extra day to complete the process is also a huge help.
If all goes as planned next week the course will be set up for a great fall season!
We've modified our method of aeration over the years and are always looking for ways to improve the process. Achieving a win-win-win outcome is very difficult, but we enjoy the challenge of continually trying to improve. We need a win for greens, a win for golfers, and a win for staff.
First and foremost we need a win for the greens. That means adequately preparing them for the coming season. The line between overdoing it and not doing enough can be very fine. The aggressive process of aeration can damage them if we aren't careful, but we have to push the envelope if we are going to get results.
We also want a win for golfers. In theory if we get a win for greens, that should satisfy the golfers. However, the wait for greens to fully recover from aeration can seem like an eternity to avid golfers (me included). The timing of aeration and the methods used have a big impact on recovery time. A speedy recovery is a win for golfers. It can be tough to get that win on top of the win for greens.
Lastly we must try and get a win for the staff. With a small team we must refine the process to make sure it can be done in the window of time allotted. Unfortunately our seasonal staff is not here when we aerate in either the spring or fall. It's easy to out kick our coverage and create more mess than we are capable of cleaning up in two days. New equipment that makes the process easier and more efficient has helped tremendously. An extra day to complete the process is also a huge help.
If all goes as planned next week the course will be set up for a great fall season!
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