Greens Aerification Recap

We were fortunate enough to have another few perfect days for the aerification of greens earlier this week (4/8 & 4/9).  Here is a recap:

Highlands

To the left you will see a picture of the profile from our Highland greens.  Recent soil test indicate that our Organic Matter (OM) is right in the 2-2.5% range; which is right in the sweet spot with the USGA recommendations of maintaining putting surfaces between 2-4%.  The confusion for most non turfheads is that a profile containing OM can be beneficial towards plant health and playabilty. It is the thatch and layering within that OM that has to be monitored and addressed to maintain proper infiltration.  Significant thatch buildup will hold moisture up top and therefore effect the firmness.  Layering will form bridges through the profile to restrict water from draining properly in our USGA spec greens.  In a nutshell, both will play a role in holding water up top and in return effect our root development because the roots aren't growing deeper in search for water.  Overall, the profile on Highlands is pretty good with the exception of the layering that has formed just above the bottom blue pen pictured to the left.  Therefore, our main objective on Highlands was to pull a core at the depth of that layer and to introduce sand to improve drainage and root development. 

We used our 648s to pull a 5/8 inch core at a 2 in spacing

The staff then used backpack blowers to blow the cores into piles prior to removal

After a healthy dose of topdressing, we used our Greens Sweeps to fill the holes prior to brooming.

Flynn

A different approach to aerification was taken on the Flynn greens in comparison to Highlands.  As you can see from the picture on the left, the profile on Flynn is entirely different.  Between the two pens, there is significant layering that more than likely is the biggest contributor to the lack of firmness in Flynn greens.  As mentioned above, the layering will restrict infiltration and cause excessive moisture to be held up top effecting firmness and root development.  In addition to the layering, a lack of OM has been identified in recent soil tests.  Flynn greens average less than 1% of OM; which is well below USGA recommendations.  Beneficial OM also provides stability to a profile while preventing ball marks from exploding and providing a cushion from excessive foot traffic and wear (so we can push to make firmer and faster).  Therefore, we took a approach with multiple practices to dilute the top couple of inches without removing OM and depth by fracturing the soil deep into the profile to create channels for infiltration and oxygen to encourage root development. 

First we used our deep tine to fracture at a depth of 8 inches with a 3/8 in tine

The next step was to DryJect greens at a 3x2 spacing

The machine uses water to inject sand into the profile and you can see focus was placed at the top

The next step was to poke a 5/8 in hole with solid tine at a 2.5 inch spacing and roll (to smooth out imperfections from processes) prior to topdressing.

Then we would bury them with sand

Next, we would use a drag broom to work the sand into the holes

Finished Product

Final tasks to all putting surfaces:

Following completion, we used a 1.5 ton roller to smooth out any imperfections created from all the traffic on the greens 

Then a broom crew would work in the sand post roll as a final touch 

Next to last step is to apply our amendments and fertility to promote a speedy recovery

Finally we would water to breakdown the products and to work the sand into the canopy

And that's a wrap on spring aerification.  We want to thank the membership for their patience and continued support with this process.  The short term inconvenience will aid in long term gain while setting the foundation for 2019.  With the forecast of rain for the weekend, we should see significant recovery by next weekend.  Enjoy the Masters!