from the FAIRWAYS by Matt Sapochak, Golf Course Superintendent
fall, winter, and spring play, which causes soil compaction. Soil related problems usually take place in the top 3 inches of turf. Improper aeration and topdressing are the biggest contributors to soil related problems.
Aerification Dates
JUNE 7-13 AND AUGUST 2-8
It’s Great to Aerate!
I
’m expecting an easy transition into aeration this year. My team and I are going back to the way we used to transition greens in the 90’s. I’m sure some of you remember those years…I was young, gas was cheap, hamburger was still 99 cents a pound, and drivers and golf balls weren’t nearly as good as they are today! However, some things never change: most golf courses located in coastal South Carolina aerate in late spring or early summer. We normally start aeration of golf course on Sunday afternoon around 1:30 PM on the back putting green and end up moving to the 1st hole around 2:30 PM, which closes the front 9. The back 9 will remain open. We will normally work to 6:30 or 7:00 PM that evening. The reason we start on Sunday is to ensure our crew and equipment are ready so we can hit the ground running Monday morning. We have done this for many years with only a few exceptions. Whenever we wait until Monday to start aeration, we just always seem to have bad luck. What everyone forgets about aerification week is that we don’t just have to aerate and topdress the golf course; we must also cut all the grass, which makes for a long week!
Greens will be core aerated on a 2 by 1.5 inch spacing. After aeration, cores will be cleaned up and topdressing applied. Once topdressing dyes it will be brushed in to fill the hole caused by coring. Greens will be rolled every day for 2 weeks before being cut. Fertilizer will be applied to greens to speed up the healing process. It will take 4 weeks for the greens to get back to normal, depending on the weather.
In much of the same process as the greens, the tees and approaches will be cored. Cores will be cleaned up and topdressing applied. I estimate that it will take 2 to 3 weeks for tees and approaches to heal. Fairways and some parts of rough will be shatter tines. The shatter tines make a 1 by 4-inch slice and shifts soil laterally, which breaks up soil compaction. This year we will be topdressing fairways, weather permitting. Aeration and heavy topdressing are disruptive to the golf course, but they must be done to maintain healthy turf and the longevity of the golf course. Aeration and topdressing rank in the top 5 most important actions to maintain the golf course each year.
Areas such as greens, tees, fairways, approaches and certain areas in the rough require aeration to relieve compaction and to revitalize our warm season grass from hamptonhallclubsc.com | 13
