7/30/2022
Golf Course Aeration Update 2022
August 15, 16 and 17
Our first divot day of the 2022 season is ear marked for Wednesday August 17
th, following aeration of our fairways. Due to the aeration process, repaired divots get removed and we are left with a large number of un-filled divots. It would be extremely helpful if our membership could lend a hand during this divot morning that will run from 8am until 10am.
Aeration Plan
Our late summer aeration will occur on the 15
th and 16
th of August with a rain date of the 17
th. The front nine will be closed Monday, followed by the back nine on Tuesday, the first tee will be closed until noon on Wednesday. We will be aerifying both greens and fairways during this time. Weather permitting, tees are scheduled for Wednesday morning. We will not be pulling a core on greens this year, but rather we will be using a solid tine and filling holes with sand. This along with our strategic fertility program will help to dilute our thatch accumulation and provide great putting surfaces moving forward.
Why we Aerate
Aerification provides much needed oxygen into the root zone, this helps to dilute organic material that is created by senescing plant parts. Too much organic material leads to unwanted pressure from both turf grass disease and insects. Unfortunately, this is an essential process for golf course greens to remain healthy for the rest of this year and for years to come.
Benefits of aeration
- Essential to the long/short term health of green surfaces
- Gets much needed Oxygen into the root zone
- Dilutes organic material
- Stimulates root development
- Added sand channels keep infiltration rates up to standards
- Keeps surfaces firm, for playability and to prevent scalping surfaces
- Helps to reduce insect and turf disease pressures
If you would like more information on why golf courses aerate, please copy and paste to your browser the following USGA links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=863Ix8czcoY&index=71&list=PLnU5qUEfww3cOAU8iTQTUpF5S4UqhXJka#
https://twitter.com/i/status/1422897607035265030
Why aerate at this time of year?
There is never a good time to aerate, and of course the greens are always at their best just prior to aeration. Poa is a winter annual grass species, which simply means it germinates best in the fall of the year, September is its most prolific time. This means we need to aerate and get the holes closed up or filled in prior to that occurring. Open holes in the fall give poa the perfect opportunity to invade, and poa is an extremely opportunistic plant! At this time of year, late summer, bentgrass is actively growing, this fills in holes quickly both for playability of the putting surface, and agronomically for poa prevention.
The best way to have poa annua invade your putting surfaces is poorly timed aeration practices.
Course Care
Please refer to the illustration above, never pry up in the centre when repairing a pitch mark, always push to the centre starting at the back of the ball mark.
Respectfully,
Chad Vibert
Golf Course Superintendent