Aerification Dates

 

Next week, September 3rd and 4th, will be the beginning of our fall aerification process on the golf course greens.  To continue the trend of improving drainage and firming up of the greens, we have contracted a company to implement a Drill and Fill process instead of our traditional core aerification.  The Drill and Fill is a 2-step process of excavating slow draining organic matter and older less desirable sand layers from the greens and replacing the removed material with quick draining topdressing sand.  First, a ¾ inch drill bit penetrates 8 inches (twice the depth of a traditional core aerification) into the green and bores out all of the old material it encounters.  Secondly, the 8 inch holes are filled with sand that is funneled into the holes from sand bins on the top of the machine.  This process will relieve compaction, increase oxygen levels in the soil profile, encourage deeper root development and improve drainage.  Once all of the greens have been completed we will continue the aerification process on fairways and tees throughout the month of September.

The healing process usually takes approximately fourteen to twenty one days depending upon the weather.  We will be applying fertilizer and maintaining higher moisture levels to expedite surface recovery.  Members will experience softer, slower, bumpier greens containing many sand-filled holes during this time.  Once the surfaces have sufficiently healed, we will return to our normal watering practices and the greens will dramatically improve in firmness and drainage.  We understand cultivation temporarily disrupts the ball roll and is an inconvenience for the golfers but keep in mind that the long-term benefits far outweigh the temporary disruptions. 

Below is a video of the Drill and Fill process.

Mid August

Irrigation head hitting a tree just off the fairway on hole #12

 

Flags mark the isolated hot spots for the employees to water

Mid August is the time of year when the bentgrass on the greens, tees and fairways are at their weakest stage.  Roots are shallow and weak due to undesirably warm soil temperatures, cart traffic and mechanical wear from mowing. Therefore, the plants frequently suffer from moisture stress as the poorly functioning roots cannot keep up with the moisture demands of the plants during low humidity, breezy and sunny afternoons.  August 2013 has so far brought an unusual number of refreshingly cool days that feel more like late September or October.  Mild days, and especially the cool nights, have allowed for minimal disease pressure and heat stress in all areas of the golf course. However, the extremely low humidity and brisk afternoon breezes accompanying the cool stretch at a time of year when the roots are at their weakest point has caused some drought stress and the necessity for some irrigation on most nights.  We are far from being out of the woods, the long term weather forecasts are increasing temperatures and humidity levels.  For that reason we are closely monitoring moisture levels and scouting for potential diseases.

Irrigating the golf course is one of the biggest challenges we face every year.  Our goal is to evenly replace the moisture lost from the previous day and prevent isolated dry spots while maintaining desirable playing conditions for the golfers.  If localized dry spots remain dry for an extended period of time the soil becomes hydrophobic and water and nutrients become unavailable for the plant to absorb causing the grass to thin and eventually die.  We battle many factors that cause uneven moisture levels throughout the golf course especially in the fairways.  The majority of our fairways are tree lined creating shaded areas, for example on #3 the entire left side of the fairway is in the shade most of the day while the right side is in the full sun making the demand for moisture twice as much on the right than the left.  Trees that have been planted too close to the fairways also pose a problem when irrigation heads hit the canopy of the tree and fall straight down creating wet conditions underneath trees.  Thatch can also play a big role in soft fairways.  Although we have been on an aggressive aerification and verti-cutting program, we still have excessive thatch levels which act as a sponge on top of the soil when water becomes trapped in the thatch layer.  Automatic irrigation systems are never perfect and the positioning of our irrigation system in the middle of the fairways makes irrigation even more challenging.  Naturally, the turf around the irrigation heads receives more water than out towards the edges of the fairway, making the centers of the fairway softer than the edges.   Most recently we have tried to supplement the majority of the automatic irrigation with hand watering.  However, hand watering requires us to access irrigation heads which releases a significant amount of water each time creating undesirable wet areas around the head.

We will continue to recognize and improve on these issues every year by adding drainage as needed, thin and prune problem trees, aerification and verti-cutting practices, and improve and update our irrigation systems.  Please know we are aware of the issues and managing them the best we can.  We appreciate your patience as we work through them.