Aerification and Topdressing
Published January 19, 2004
One of the most important cultural practices that is carried out on golf courses is aerification (FAQ: What is Topdressing?). Our normal greens aerification is scheduled for twice each season, once in the fall and once in the spring. This is especially important as the greens at Lake View are composed of heavy native soil without an underlying drainage system.
The spring aerification is usually carried out in late April or early May. During the spring aerification, a "deep tine" aerator with 1/2 inch tines is utilized and then the greens are topdressed and the holes are filled with sand. The deeper penetration, as much as 10 inches deep, helps open the soils up for deeper rooting and aids in the promotion of internal drainage.
In the fall, usually the day after Labor Day, we perform the traditional hollow tine aerification. During this time we, as opposed the the "deep tine" in the spring, initiate a "hollow tine" aeration where small 1/2 inch cores of soil are removed. The soil is then removed and replaced with a more porous sand material. Heavy topdressing is key to providing a smooth and true putting surface and is important in managing thatch accumulation.
Over the years we have refined this process and we have been able to significantly reduce the recovery time. It's certainly understandable that this process is dreaded by the golfing membership but it truly is one of the most beneficial cultural practices we can implement to provide the outstanding putting surfaces you are accustomed to. The feedback from the membership has been very favorable concerning this temporary inconvenience and your continued understanding is greatly appreciated.
Equipment
Toro Greens Aerator
2X2 spacing - hollow or solid core tining on greens and tees
Toro Fairway Aerator
Variable spacing - hollow or solid tining on fairways and tees.
Turfco Topdresser
Used for spreading an even layer of sand across a turf surface.
Soil Reliever - Deep Tine Aerator
Variable spacing - used to deeply aerate soils on greens, tees, and fairways.
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"It is an important thing in golf to make holes look much more difficult than they really are. People get more pleasure out of doing a hole which looks almost impossible and yet is not so difficult as it appears."
Dr. Alister Mackenzie, "The Spirit of St. Andrews"
