Why aerify golf greens

Adverse Effects of Ignoring Aerification: The sensistive grass on the greens could die Lack of Oxygen levels will permantly affect the bent or bermuda Promote weed growth on the course. What is Sand Topdressing? Benefits of Sand Topdressing: Improved Smoothness — Voids exist within the turf canopy between turfgrass leaves and stems, causing inconsistent ball roll. Sand topdressing helps fill these voids to provide smoother and truer putts.

Thatch Dilution — The layer of organic debris, stems, crowns and roots in the upper rootzone — i. Thatch should be diluted with sand through practices like verticutting and sand topdressing to maintain good turf quality. Improved Turf Recovery — Occasional turf thinning can occur on putting greens.

Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae. Increased Firmness — Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency. Improved Rootzone — Sand drains well and resists soil compaction.

The accumulation of sand from multiple topdressings over many years can improve soil physical properties. Become a Sea Palms Insider Receive special offers, advanced notice of upcoming events, and exciting exclusives. TrueCore, another piece of tech implemented by Toro, allows the machine to hug the ground as it passes over green contours. The outcome? Consistent hole depth, which keeps the green evenly aerated throughout. James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine on a broad range of topics.

Why do golf courses aerate their greens? The answer is underneath your feet By: James Colgan May 31, This lowers the pressure to be aggressive during spring aerification if the greens are performing well and thatch is not excessive. It also reduces the dilemma of how aggressive to be, knowing spring weather is highly unpredictable. Spring is one of the most challenging times to aerify, especially for sand-based bentgrass greens in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Upper Midwest.

No matter the timing, an aerification hole made from March 1 through May 1 will likely not heal fully until mid-May in most years. So why is it that we want to run out and make holes as soon as possible in spring? For many, the golf schedule drives this train. If possible, consider waiting until the grass has resumed normal growth May or early June. Coring when grass is actively growing will impact golfers for fewer days in spring.

For example, if the hole is made on May 15, it will likely heal in 12 to 14 days. By comparison, a hole made on April 1 can take 30 to 40 days to heal fully. Prevention of excessive organic matter accumulation requires aerification and sand topdressing.

Further complicating matters is spring weather, which can be unpredictable, with cold soils and low sun angles. The numerous early-spring golf events that most facilities host make timing spring aerifications even more difficult.

The other big factor driving aerification scheduling and timing, regardless of when superintendents are considering doing this work, is staffing. All of us in the green industry are well aware of the labor issues facing superintendents, and aerification is certainly a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. Many golf course managers feel they have more labor in August and September than they do in November, for example, and schedule aerification accordingly.

As with anything, this might not be possible at all golf courses. The dilemma of aerification timing is not going to change anytime soon. Otherwise, try some of the suggestions noted above, even if only on a practice green, to learn how timing the process impacts recovery. Regardless of when and how aggressive your aerifications are, there will be complaints.

Many argue that aerifying in late autumn encourages Poa annua germination. Poa germination patterns can vary widely based on many factors. My field observations line up with this data, and I have seen significantly more Poa in greens aerated before Nov. I have also seeded Poa collected seedheads in spring and cleaned and dried them for the following autumn for research trials, and we have struggled to get it to germinate after the middle of October in fumigated soils with no competition.

Or is there a higher risk of Poa encroachment with aerification late into the year? Although there is no exact research on this question, a lot of nearly pure creeping bentgrass greens are aerified in late autumn each year. Many other components besides aerification — use of plant growth regulators, shade, Poa seed bank, existing populations of bentgrass and Poa — also factor into this issue.

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter. With some tried-and-true tips and a healthy dose of experience, turfgrass managers can make the best call. Photo by Steven McDonald As an independent turfgrass consultant and researcher, I get hundreds, if not thousands, of agronomic questions each year. Among the many documented benefits of aerification, two of the most important are: It enables root systems to grow deeper and more densely. It can improve playability and firmness, as well as dilute thatch.