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| Small light color circles are the result of many years of aerification and filling with sand. |
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| Here is a side view showing the channel that is created by the sand incorporation. |
Another year of greens aerification is in the books. The weather was not as cooperative as we would've have like but nonetheless, we were able to accomplish the process. We incorporated 60 tons of sand into the greens. That is an average of 3 tons of sand per green!
Our main goal is to incorporate as much sand into the green as possible. The sand channels are ideal for root growth as they provide better drainage and gas/air exchange. As you can see from the pictures above, we have created several channels through the consistency of our aerification program. The most important thing to understand about turf is that the quality of turf on top is a direct result of what is happening in the soil underneath. The sand helps dilute the organic matter that builds up from the natural process of leaf and roots senescence or dying off. Too much organic matter causes problems with drainage,compaction, nutrient exchange, and more. With our ability to consistently perform this process, we are able to grow turf that can remain healthy in all conditions.
Following the completion of aerification, we wait a couple of days before mowing so that we don't remove any sand from the greens. We then begin mowing at a much higher height of cut to stay above the sand. Each day, we drop the height of the mower until we get down to our normal height which will be early next week. Green speed and smoothness will return shortly after that.
Tees and fairways have also been completed except for 1,9, and 10 fairway. The main idea here is to simply remove thatch and reduce compaction. Once again, weather hasn't been on our side for some of this process. Unfortunately, an ideal day for aerification is also an ideal day for golf. Thank you for your patience while we are performing this process. The conditions of the golf course are largely related to what we do during these two weeks.
