Week of April 26th: Aeration Prep and Sod Work
- Matthew Behl
- Apr 26, 2024
- 2 min read
The past three nights have felt more like winter then spring with nights in the upper 20's. Look's like we will have one more frost Saturday morning before night time temperatures moderate some.
The agronomy team has been very busy the past two weeks. I personally can not remember a spring this busy.
Some of the work completed:
Extensive work to the irrigation system continues
Extensive work to bunkers continues (sand will begin to firm up)
Pre-emergent weed control to fairways completed
Pre-emergent and fertility completed to bunkers
First round of pre-emergent/poa control completed to greens
Rough pre emergent weed control ongoing
Greens vented
Sod installed to cart path edges on 2
Green walk on to 12 getting prepped for sod
Fungicide and fertility applications to greens
Remaining exposed greens liner cut
Bunker nose touch up weedwacking for the first time of the season
The work on 1 is coming along nicely. The original plan was to hydroseed this area, but we have the resources available to sod this area. Sodding this area will have the area playable quicker and make the initial grow in easier for the agronomy team. Once the team and I get through aeration we will pick a day to lay the sod. On the day we lay the sod no other course prep will take place as the entire team will need to be involved in the installation.
Course aeration is scheduled for Monday, April 29th, Tuesday, April 30th, and Wednesday May 1. Greens will be started on Monday with an outside contractor utilizing a verti-drain or deep tine machine with a 1/2 inch solid tine. We will be aerating with this machine to a depth of 7 to 8 inches which will help with infiltration and gas exchange in our lower root zone. Now that our greens are aging we will be doing this type of aeration twice a year. The agronomy team will follow up with a 3/8 inch coring tine and pull cores behind the deep tine machine. Focus with this aeration will be on the top two inches of root zone. Cores will be collected and greens will then be topdressed with sand. This aeration we are primarily going after organic matter/thatch which is our biggest issue on greens other than poa annua management. Weather doesn't look ideal with showers and cloudy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The drying of the topdressing sand is crucial to this operation and hopefully the weather cooperates some. Fairways will be aerified on Wednesday. Our goal is to complete all the fairways, short game, and the driving range field on Wednesday. The pro shop will be updated daily on progress and any changes on course availability will be updated via zingle.
Some other pictures from the week:
Sod prep 12 walk on
Video of the Greens venting:
