We are aerating greens this week. It may seem early- and it is very early compared to most courses- but there are a couple of very specific reasons that this timing works for us.
Though the timing is early, this is nothing new for us. We
have been aerating greens in this window for several years now and it works for
our situation. But, comparing aeration
timing between two courses is not a useful metric because of grass differences,
tournament schedules, agronomic programs, and more. So, this schedule is good
for our greens and calendar, but it wouldn’t necessarily work at other courses.
Sometimes the mid-winter thaw that we target as our aeration
window is also the first nice weather in a few weeks that golfers also aim to
get back out and play. It may seem as though we are disrupting everything just
at the time when some nice winter golf can be played. However, part of our reasoning
behind the early season aeration is so that the greens are healed and ready for
spring play when the weather turns nice consistently and golfers want to be out
regularly. It also allows the course to be ready for our early season tournaments
and outings. By aerating now, we impact the first nice winter weather,
not the first nice spring weather.
Our biggest reason for aerating in February has to do with
our type of grass, Poa annua, and its life cycle. Each spring the Poa
plant produces seeds. We
work very hard to minimize the number of seeds produced because they can negatively
impact ball roll, as well as deplete the energy of the plant. To stop, or at
least slow, seed head production, we must slow and nearly stop all plant
growth. But, to get our aeration to heal, we need aggressive growth. Recovery
and seed head suppression do not work well together, so we aerate early. This
allows 3-5 weeks of healing for the greens before we start our aggressive seed
head suppression program.
Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate, and our aeration
gets delayed until we are much closer to our first chemical application for
seed heads, but we have been lucky that last several years to aerate in February.
We are in the midst of this year’s thaw and are hitting the window right on.
Etiquette Reminder of the Month
Please do not try and remove a flagstick that is frozen into
the cup. Turf damage may occur.
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
See you on the course!
Joe
jvillegas@bwrc.org
