Aerification Dates

 It’s almost here.  Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes our fall aeration process.  This cultural practice is a necessary part of maintaining the health and performance of our playing surfaces at Illini CC.  In addition to helping relieve soil compaction, aeration enhances water, nutrient, and oxygen flow to the plants’ roots, promotes surface drainage, provides channels in which roots can grow, and reduces thatch.  All of this leads to healthier turf and a faster, firmer playing surface.

After Labor Day, the maintenance staff will begin chipping away at the tees and fairways.  We will be doing a mixture of solid-tine aeration (holes only) and hollow-tine aeration (pulling a plug) depending upon the specific needs of each area.  We will not be closing the golf course during tee and fairway aerification, but rather will schedule this activity around golf play.  We will make efforts to have as minimal impact on golf play as possible.

Greens aeration is scheduled to begin on the front nine greens on Wednesday, September 23^rd while the back nine remains open.  On Thursday, September 24^th, the front nine greens will be open for play while we aerate the back nine.  Unlike last fall, we will not be doing the Drill and Fill process, but rather a process similar to what was performed in the spring.

As always, please remember that the entire 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. 

Although green, tee, and fairway aeration will be our primary focus, we will be also be performing several other fall maintenance practices throughout the month of September.  These include seeding, fertilizer applications, and many other on-course projects.  Again, we understand the inconvenience this causes for golfers, and we will do our best to perform our duties with as minimal disruption as possible, while always maintaining our courtesy to the membership.  The Golf Course Maintenance Department greatly appreciates your cooperation and patience as we complete these important projects.

Prepared by, Curtis Keller