Deep tine aeration

Today we will be deep tine aerating the greens. This is the final cultural practice of the season for the greens, but one that has an impact for the entire year.

This process is similar to other aeration procedures in that holes are made in the greens. However, the important aspect of this particular occurrence is the depth at which we go down. The tines are 10 inches long and reach into the soil about 7-8”. At this depth, the tines drive well past any layers, compaction, or other soil problems that may have accumulated in the upper profile. We have been performing this deep tine aeration regularly since 2015 and you can read our initial post covering the topic here.

As another benefit, water and oxygen can penetrate much deeper into the soil profile also. This is great for drainage over the winter, when there is more water that needs to move through the profile because less evaporates. Roots find their way down into these newly created deep channels as well and deeper roots lead to healthier plants.

Finally, after the aeration, we will roll the greens and topdress them with sand. Topdressing with sand is not something we have consistently done during this deep tine aeration process in the past. We will spread a medium layer of sand across the green and drag the sand so that it falls into the holes created by the machine. This is a critical step that we started last year and will continue regularly. Allowing the sand to fall into the hole and accumulate several inches below the surface ensures that access to deeper soil layers stays open for water movement and root growth.

Impacting the surface of the greens every 2-3 months with one type of cultural practice or another keeps the greens performing at their best. After a full year of multiple activities, we have arrived at our last for the season.

As a reminder, we are only posting once per month from November thru February.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please stay off all grass surfaces during a frost delay.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org