Aeration Reminder
August 19-21 (Monday-Wednesday) we will be aerating the greens with 1/2" diameter coring tines and back filling the holes with sand. The course will be closed those three days. We'll do a practice run on the chipping green sometime this week in order to determine what settings to use with the aerator and topdressing. Hole depth, hole spacing, and sand quantity will need to be figured out before we start on the 19th.
This date was chosen in an effort to improve the chances for a quick recovery and to give the greens relief sooner than the mid September dates of the past. Summer is tough on old bentgrass greens and having to limp through 3-4 more weeks of summer weather before aerating is difficult. This date also means we have more staff to help with the process since some of the college kids have not gone back to school yet. Lastly, it frees us up to focus on repairing the fescue rough at a better time of year. Last year you'll recall that rains came in early September and didn't stop until October. Greens continued to suffer through that month and were extremely weak when the sun finally popped out again. Aeration is a huge step in keeping greens healthy, but the process itself can be tough on greens. They need to be durable enough to withstand all the steps of aerating. The only downside to this year's aeration date is the likelihood for hot weather. We may have to stop the process at mid-day to avoid damaging the greens in the peak of the heat. Brushing in topdressing sand is abrasive to the turf and that's not something we want to do in the hottest part of the day. If it's hot, we might need all three days to finish. If we can knock out the hole punching and topdressing in two days, then we'll use the third day to do more brushing, rolling, and fine tuning to get all the holes full of sand. The more attention to detail we can give it, the faster it will recover.
Greens aeration is vital to the health of the club's most valuable asset. Thank you for your patience and understanding during the process.
This date was chosen in an effort to improve the chances for a quick recovery and to give the greens relief sooner than the mid September dates of the past. Summer is tough on old bentgrass greens and having to limp through 3-4 more weeks of summer weather before aerating is difficult. This date also means we have more staff to help with the process since some of the college kids have not gone back to school yet. Lastly, it frees us up to focus on repairing the fescue rough at a better time of year. Last year you'll recall that rains came in early September and didn't stop until October. Greens continued to suffer through that month and were extremely weak when the sun finally popped out again. Aeration is a huge step in keeping greens healthy, but the process itself can be tough on greens. They need to be durable enough to withstand all the steps of aerating. The only downside to this year's aeration date is the likelihood for hot weather. We may have to stop the process at mid-day to avoid damaging the greens in the peak of the heat. Brushing in topdressing sand is abrasive to the turf and that's not something we want to do in the hottest part of the day. If it's hot, we might need all three days to finish. If we can knock out the hole punching and topdressing in two days, then we'll use the third day to do more brushing, rolling, and fine tuning to get all the holes full of sand. The more attention to detail we can give it, the faster it will recover.
Greens aeration is vital to the health of the club's most valuable asset. Thank you for your patience and understanding during the process.
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