Aerification Begins Today

Aerifying 5's Tee Complex

This morning after the initial prep has been completed on the golf course the aerification of the fairways and tees will begin.  We still have a few roughs also to complete and as time permits we will address those as well. 

Greens Repair Late July 2006

You may ask why we aerify so often ... well the answer is because thanks to being an older golf course who for years either extremely limited to never aerified the areas outside the the greens led to high organic matter (OM) in the profile.  This higher OM has led to many issues such as fertilizer lock up and not released, formation of algae due to staying damp and poor turf health both in and out of season.  These aerification aid in the breakdown of the OM by allowing air movement through the profile and provide the correct water/air ratio for healthy plant root growth.

Black Layer in 17's Green (Aug 2006)

Tomorrow, we will be addressing the greens that are still having "shut down" issues by either full or spot aerfications.  This "shut down" issue that I am talking about is caused by slow to low percolation and water movement caused by higher OM in the soil profile that was caused years and years ago by the stripping of the top layer of bentgrass after loss and leaving the root mass in the profile or worst yet tilling this mass deeper into the profile.  Leaving this mass led to lower percolation and thus the formation of layer and algae on the surface.

Side View of this Black Layer (2006)

Greens aerfications and deep drilling have aided in the relief of these issues caused by this "black layer" or zone of anaerobic zone but the greens still have a way to go until the sins of the past are gone.  We have over the years increased the percolation of the greens from 0.5 inches per hour to around 3 - 4 inches per hours (still less than the desired but better).  This increased percolation translates into being able to roll longer in season and improved conditions, and decreased puddling and algae formation.

Damaged Cause by Algae and Poor Water Movement in 2004