May 15, 2011

It's that ime of year again...

Why is it that we always seem to aerate (translation: ruin) the greens just when they are starting to get good? 
I get this question twice each year, often from the same people.  I always figured they were just expressing their frustration with the process, so I never gave it much thought.  Since this is my first aeration at a new course with new greens and new members, it is probably a good time I sit down and give it a little more thought.
There are two answers to the original question.  The one I have some control over is that aeration is usually scheduled during the time when healing conditions are ideal.  In the spring we try to wait until the grass is growing and healthy, which is usually some time in May.  Greens usually take 10-14 days to heal, so we schedule two weeks before Memorial Day.  Later in the season we must wait until the stress of summer is over.  Usually around August 15th the nights become long enough that the turf begins to recover from the heat of summer.  Generally aeration can take place beginning in late August and can be scheduled through early November. 
The second reason is that Golf Committees always schedule big tournaments just before aeration, and since we are about to “ruin” the greens we try to provide the best conditions possible.  Since the weather conditions are ideal and we are stepping up our grooming practices, the greens are usually the best the day before aeration.
After giving this some more thought I realized that the people asking that question are not concerned with the timing.  They are challenging why we have to do it at all.  The answer to this is really quite complicated.  The simplest answer is to ensure that the turf is healthy enough to withstand the stress associated with producing  playing conditions that exceed the standards and expectations of the membership.  Maintaining firm, fast playing conditions requires us to place the turf under considerable stress: double-cutting, rolling, topdressing, brushing, withholding water and nutrients.  Not to mention the fact that we do all of this during the hottest, driest time of year.
In order for the turf to withstand this torture we must do everything in our power to make sure it has the resiliency to recover from our maintenance practices.  Aeration is one way that we provide a growing environment that will allow us to push for the conditions that we expect. 
Since each course has its unique challenges and priorities, the programs developed to achieve their individual goals will be quite varied.  I have not been working with these greens long enough to establish long term goals and develop a comprehensive program to achieve them.  I do recognize that the greens have been well cared for and are very healthy so I do not see any reason to attempt major surgery.  I have identified two main goals that are part of almost every aeration program, improving gas exchange and managing thatch development.  We will be solid tine aerating the greens to provide open channels for water infiltration and gas exchange throughout the summer months.  We will also be vertical mowing and topdressing the surfaces to manage thatch development and provide smooth, firm playing surfaces.  The combination of these two practices should allow the greens to withstand all the rigors associated with maintaining the conditions you have come to expect at POYCC.
Once I have had more time to see how the greens perform over the course of a season I will establish specific goals and develop programs that will achieve them.  I will go into more detail about the benefits of aeration and what goes into developing the programs in future posts.  If you have any questions that you would like me to address, you can sign up as a follower of the blog and post them in the comments section.  

1 comment:

Unknown said...

If you click on "view my complete profile" in the top left corner you can find a link to the blog I maintained at Suffield, also called Superintendent's Blog. You can click on key words under the labels section to read more about past aerations and the goals we established for their greens.