Warming Up

With temperatures in the 50's lately, the snow is beginning to melt away. The eleventh fairway is beginning to show a bit of green. Recently greens 4 and 6 have been cleared and look great. We have been clearing some cart paths as well. We are approaching our last week of the Nordic season and next Sunday, March 29th is the last day for grooming the track. From there on it's all golf and we'll be gearing up for the new season.

Reid's comment

In response to Reid's comment, my experience is mainly in cooler climates, though each course is different. However it is standard that most putting surfaces are aerified twice a year. Superintendents vary on the size of the holes punched to remove more or less thatch. When I was in Colorado Springs, I could get away with smaller hole sizes, mainly due to warmer soil temperatures and less shade issues.

From what I do know about maintenance of southern grasses and warmer climates, some Superintendents may choose to aerify two, three or more times per year. There are two common reasons for this. First, they are usually open year round and deal with more compaction. Aerification is the greatest medicine to relieve compaction. Second, some warm season turfgrasses such as bermuda grass can be very aggressive and can accumulate thatch layers very quickly. In this case aerification can help prevent disease and poor ball roll on putting surfaces.

In response to your comment about the USGA, they actually do a great job of supporting "our" end of the business. They provide thousands of dollars each year to universities around the country for turfgrass research. The Green Section is a vital part of each and every USGA event. The USGA has numerous agronomists that monitor each golf course before and during a tournament. They also provide a turf advisory service, which for a fee a USGA agronomist can visit a golf course and provide helpful tips to the Superintendent.

I do have to agree with you that it has been a struggle for the USGA, GCSAA and all turf maintenance related organizations to successfully reach out to the golfer. But trust me we are all working on it. One of my solutions to reach out to golfers is this blog site, I think we are off to a great start and keep those questions coming.  

Click here to view helpful video clips on certain maintenance practices supported by the USGA Green Section .

 

Re-visit Aerification

This blog is in response to a comment inquiring about fall aerification.

Due to the lack of warm temperatures in Vail, soil conditions do not promote microbial activity to break down enough organic matter in the soil to provide a healthy environment. Removing the organic matter such as thatch and other decaying plant material is critical for the continuing health of the current plants. Aerifying in the spring and the fall, allow us to rid the most amount of thatch possible while disrupting the least amount of play.

Fall aerification also allows for more oxygen to enter the root zone and incorporate more sand to dilute organic matter and create a smooth putting surface. Aerification also contributes to better drainage of ice and snow through the winter and spring because the holes remain exposed.

This practice continues to be a thorn in the side of many golfers everywhere wishing to get on the course early or late in the season. However with the stress the putting greens endure each year, golfers would never want to play Vail Golf Club during the summer months, without this integral part of maintenance.

According to some research, putting greens should have up to 20% of the surface disturbed each year to provide the healthiest environment. Due to the short season we can accomplish about 15% each year, without fall aerification that number would be closer to 10%.