Greens Aerification

Last week the crew and I finished aerifying greens.  Each fall we bury the greens with a heavy amount of sand, let the sand dry, "deep-tine" aerify with 3/4" solid tines, and then hand broom in the dried sand into the aerification holes.

The process works well when we have good drying conditions, such as abundant sunshine and a little wind.  Under those conditions the sand dries enough that it doesn't stick to each other and works into the holes easily.  Conversely, when the sand is damp it bridges over the holes and refuses to work into the holes making for an unproductive day.

Greens aerification days are labor intensive and the crew works hard to get the job done.  Fortunately, we have a great group of employees who, every year, do the task asked of them without complaint.  Thanks again guys!

 

Verticutting Tees

Last week the crew finished verticutting tees.  The machine being used to do this has blades that spin around on a shaft.  Each blade then cuts a linear groove in the turf removing accumulated thatch.  The removal of excess thatch helps lessen disease pressure, helps with water penetration and maintains a firmer playing surface.  

After the tees were verticut in 2 directions there was a substantial amount of thatch to be picked up.  Sand topdressing was then applied.