Week of May 9th - Fairway aeration
- matthewbehl
- May 13, 2022
- 2 min read
This week we were closed for two days for contract work to pull cores on fairways. We normally complete a solid tine aeration in-house during the fall, but pulling cores is more beneficial due to the thatch removal. Coring the fairways helps to reduce compaction, removes thatch, promotes gas exchange, and creates channels in the soil for root growth and water infiltration. SportScapes Unlimited completed the work and we are very pleased with the results.
The first step was to mark all of the irrigation heads, drain caps, and yardage markers, then remove the cores with tractor-mounted aerators. 4 machines made quick work of this part of the job.
After the cores dried on the surface, they were dragged with a chain mat. This breaks up the plugs, allowing some loose soil to work its way back into the canopy and holes.
The next step was to blow the thatchy plugs into windrows where they could be gathered by sweepers and hauled away.
While the contractors worked, our staff took advantage of the closure to mow greens with our groomers on and complete a light topdressing and brushing. The groomers are similar to a vertical mowing, helping to remove excess leafy growth and promote denser surfaces for better rolling greens. They also create channels for the sand to work into the profile. We will continue to perform light topdressing, grooming, and brushing throughout the season as conditions and scheduling allow.
At the end of this week, some summer-like weather finally arrived! We began our fairway wetting agent application just in time. While it has been cool, we have had very dry and windy weather for the past few weeks. Wetting agents allow for more effective use of water as we begin to ramp up our automated watering during the night. We will continue to supplement overnight watering with handwatering to reduce overall water use and target dry areas more precisely. Hopefully we will receive some seasonable spring rainfall in the weeks to come (at night of course, so it doesn't disrupt the great golfing weather!)
