Busy Week

In spite of the shortened week due to Memorial Day, we have had a productive week on the golf course.

On Wednesday and Thursday this past week, we were able to squeeze in a topdressing along with a light aerification on greens.  The aerification is a process we refer to as "venting".   Using 1/4" spiking tines, we aerify the greens and collars on 2"x 2" spacing to a depth of about 3.5".  Following the aerifer, the greens are rolled smooth with almost no impact to ball roll.

This is a process we will do monthly to open up the greens to improve air exchange, along with creating channels to assist with water infiltration.  The light topdressing is another practice we use bi-weekly to help firm up and smooth out greens.  This practice also helps to break down thatch, preventing greens from getting "puffy" on us.

As the weather continues to warm up, we applied our first fertilizer application to the Zoysia fairways.  With the Zoysia, our goal is to use as little fertilizer as possible.  Zoysia has a tendency to produce thatch along with spring disease when too much fertilizer is applied.  Limiting our fertilizer inputs helps to keep fairways firm with minimal clippings.

At the same time we are also applying growth regulators, combined with iron, to the fairways in order to encourage a tighter plant with less clippings.  All of these practices combine for a healthy turf growing at a rate we control, avoiding days of fairways getting too tall in between mowing.