Spring Aerification

     It is that time of year for us to do one of the most important cultural practices to our green, aerification.  We are going to deep drill our greens and use our conventional Pro Core aerator.  The deep drill machine uses 5/8 inch tines and drills down 10 inches deep with a hole spacing of 5"x5''.  Our Toro Pro Core will have 3/8'' tines that go down 3 - 3.5 inches with a hole spacing of 1.75''x 2.5''.  The most important thing we are trying to manage when we aerify is  thatch reduction.  Bentgrass is a big thatch producer.  Too much thatch in a golf green causes lots of problems.  Greens become soft, spongy, ball roll is inconsistent, balls will not hold,  thatch is a place to harbor insects and disease and the greens can become hydrophobic where the thatch will repel water.  After we aerate the greens the greens go through a little bit of shock.  After about one week they will begin to grow.  They are rejuvenated.  We cannot have good greens without aerifying them.  We will aerate our greens on Sunday March 19th and Monday March 20.  If the weather does not cooperate we will finish Tuesday March 21.  Here are a few pictures of the Aerators we will be using.

 Floyd McKay Deep Drill Machine

 Leave piles of sand around each hole.  Drills 10'' deep.

 Pro Core

Lots more holes closer together.