Greens Aerification

Yes, its that time of year....things are greening up, the weather is getting better, the golf course is beginning to look like a golf course again, which can only mean one thing....time for aerification!  The video posted above is a great explanation of the reasons and benefits of aerification. 

We will begin aerifying the greens next week.  On Monday April 4th, we will aerify the front nine greens.  The back nine greens will be aerified on Tuesday April 5th, with the front nine open for play.  On Wednesday April 6th, the Practice Greens will be closed for aerification, however, the golf course will be open for play.

The good news is that with some favorable weather the last couple of weeks we were able to finish aerifying the rough, as well as the driving range.   With aerification and seeding finished in the rough, we are waiting for spring rains and warmer days to push these areas along. 

Following greens aerification we will aerify and topdress our approaches into the greens.  In an effort to firm up the approaches and increase roll into the green we are stepping up our management in this area.  Look for more topdressing, verticutting, possibly a shorter height of cut, along with less water on our approaches.

If everything goes as planned, we should be back to normal after a week of recovery following this practice.  Thank you for your patience during this time. 

Rough Aerification

This past week we began aerifying the primary rough throughout the golf course.  The pictures above show the Deep Tine Aerifier we use for this process.  This machine is capable of punching holes 8-12" deep with minimal surface disruption.  As the tine enters the soil profile it is designed to fracture the soil at the maximum depth allowing for compaction relief while also promoting gas exchange in the root zone.

With the weather we've had this past week we were able to get an earlier start than originally planned.  This is typically a two week process that we are completing at a prime time for turf health as we head into the busy months ahead.

Sand Caddy

Attached is an item we found at the PGA Show this past winter.  The Sand Caddy is a small bottle that will be made available to all walkers who choose to carry a sand bottle with them for filling divots.  The bottles are made to fit easily in your bag and can be refilled during your round at different locations where sand will be made available.

Check with the Golf Shop for more details.

Warming Up!

I'm always amazed at how quick things begin to change on the golf course with a little bit of warm weather!

As the weather slowly moves into more spring like conditions, we are begining to see some growth on the greens along with the cool season rough working its way out of dormancy.  We're still a few weeks away from seeing the Zoysia green up, although if you look closely at the divots, you can begin to see some green showing up.  All good signs following a brutally cold winter!

One of our main projects this past winter was selectively removing trees throughout the property.  Our primary objective was focusing on our key specimen Oaks and removing unwanted trees (typically Siberian Elms and Cedars) that were crowding the Oaks.  The benefits are numerous.  Poorly positioned trees compete with our desired species for nutrients and water, prevent airflow through the course, and limit turf and key trees from ever reaching their full potential.  In most cases if it weren't for the stumps temporarily left behind the removed trees would go unnoticed.

Along with the removals we will continue to plant proven trees throughout the property.  All new tree placements have been carefully considered for both strategy as well as turf health in the immediate area of the tree.  The key when planting trees is to avoid over planting and ensuring that we are looking at the long term impact of each selection.

If I can answer any questions regarding our tree work, please don't hesitate to ask.