aerified greens

[wils5150]

I discovered one good thing about aerified greens. I did mine tuesday and today was  beautifull out. I got in 18 holes in 2,5 hours shot a 78 too. And they putted just fine!

[iacas]

I discovered one good thing about aerified greens. I did mine tuesday and today was  beautifull out. I got in 18 holes in 2,5 hours shot a 78 too. And they putted just fine!

I realize you're being a bit facetious, but I have to admit this is the first (and likely only?) time I'll see a superintendent say that he "discovered one good thing about aerified greens"!

[wils5150]

lol I was wearing my golfer hat on that one!! if I had my superintendent hat on i would have to type a novel explaining the benefits. On a serious note i think if golfers didnt go in with a crappy attitude about aerified greens they wouldn't dred them so much.

[caniac6]

I always figure there is just as good of a chance to hit a hole and knock it in as there is to hit a hole and knock it out.

[MS256]

I always figure there is just as good of a chance to hit a hole and knock it in as there is to hit a hole and knock it out.

My theory is that any bad putt has a 50/50 chance of hitting a hole and going in the hole and any good putt has a 100% chance of hitting a hole and going either right or left of the hole.

(Advantage bad putters).

Only half joking. The bad putters in the 12:30 game sure seem to win a lot more when the greens are aerified than when they are rolling their best.

[boogielicious]

lol I was wearing my golfer hat on that one!! if I had my superintendent hat on i would have to type a novel explaining the benefits. On a serious note i think if golfers didnt go in with a crappy attitude about aerified greens they wouldn't dred them so much.

I think if they are sanded properly, then it is just getting the speed down.  But if the sand is blown off, the aeration holes make it like a pinball machine.

[Meltdwhiskey]

I don't mind them really.  I know a couple of 'greens snobs' that don't like to play on even mediocre greens, much less cored.  As long as everyone is putting on the same green, I think it's fair enough.  It's only for a few weeks.

[phan52]

I don't mind them really.  I know a couple of 'greens snobs' that don't like to play on even mediocre greens, much less cored.  As long as everyone is putting on the same green, I think it's fair enough.  It's only for a few weeks.

This. Necessary evil and it doesn't last long. In fact, we have directed our superintendant to aerify the rough more often. He did it last year for the first time in years and our rough is better than ever.

Funny story, my wife came home last week and found a guy in our back yard aerifying our yard. He was pretty much done and was opening the fence gate to get out. She asked him what he was doing (we have a yard service that just does treatments but we don't aerify). He was on the wrong property; we are 220 and he was supposed to do 202. Freebie.

[caniac6]

I discovered one good thing about aerified greens. I did mine tuesday and today was  beautifull out. I got in 18 holes in 2,5 hours shot a 78 too. And they putted just fine!

Is this the first or second time you punched them this fall? I just thought the timing was a bit late due to the approaching cold weather up north. I live in central NC, and ours were done the second week in Sept.,followed with a verticut about 3 weeks later. We have had cool nights,and dry weather, so our bentgrass greens have slowed down growing quite a bit. Right now, they have started alternating mowing and rolling. I have a turf degree from NC State, but all my work experience has been in NC, so I don't know what the schedule is up north. Thanks.

[wils5150]

its the first time this fall. Ya its a bit late for my liking but we are a public course and wait till we drop to our fall rates. this place is always a ghost town here for a week after we plug them. we would get killed revenue wise if we did them earlier. its always a roll of the dice if they will completely heal before winter. ideal would be mid may and right before or after labor day.

[MS256]

Is this the first or second time you punched them this fall? I just thought the timing was a bit late due to the approaching cold weather up north. I live in central NC, and ours were done the second week in Sept.,followed with a verticut about 3 weeks later. We have had cool nights,and dry weather, so our bentgrass greens have slowed down growing quite a bit. Right now, they have started alternating mowing and rolling. I have a turf degree from NC State, but all my work experience has been in NC, so I don't know what the schedule is up north. Thanks.

I'm always curious about those things. The course where I play (and work) punches the greens less than any other course around here (and always has). It also has always had the best greens around here, both when they were bent grass and now that they are Bermuda.

The owner/superintendent is good at what he does and other superintendents are constantly calling him and asking for his advice on just about everything to do with growing grass. I would never question his knowledge or expertise but it does seem a little weird that we so rarely punch the greens compared to the courses in the valley.

All we did this year was punch the small holes in the Spring, top dress and drag them in, and water them. The next day it was almost unnoticeable. The course where I was a member in the valley always cored with the big holes twice a year.

[wils5150]

I think my holes are .400 diameter. I don't always pull a plug twice a year. the past 2 years we pulled a plug once and solid tined the other time. it also depends on how many needle tinings I can get in during the season. pulling plugs is more important if you have native soil greens and are trying to modify them in my opinion. my current greens are 80-20 sand soil so modifying them isn't my objective. our other course has native soil push up greens so getting more sand into them is very important.

[MS256]

I think my holes are .400 diameter. I don't always pull a plug twice a year. the past 2 years we pulled a plug once and solid tined the other time. it also depends on how many needle tinings I can get in during the season. pulling plugs is more important if you have native soil greens and are trying to modify them in my opinion. my current greens are 80-20 sand soil so modifying them isn't my objective. our other course has native soil push up greens so getting more sand into them is very important.

Not really that much different than what we did. Maybe the other courses have a different soil makeup. When I played those courses I never thought much about those things (just played).

I know the courses in the valley don't have even close to the same soil in the fairways and have a lot more trouble growing grass on them, but since I assume the greens are made of greens mix they should be the same.

We do have one small "ladies green" on one of the holes that was made as an afterthought years ago and it's not made of greens mix but some sort of masonry sand. The difference is obvious when changing holes (much easier to pull the plug) but that green takes much more water than the others.

[wils5150]

ya maint. practices are very different between sand and old loam push up greens. I have to deal with both and there is a learning curve for sure.

[ay33660]

At my club the course is shut down for an entire week during the spring and the fall to aerify the greens.

But they do more than just the greens. All of the fairways and rough are aerified and lots of work is done on the course.

This fall in addition to the normal work on bunkers, curbs etc they also releveled the front of two greens. Always amazes me how they can take the sod out, put down soil and then put sod back down and is almost 100% healed within a week.

I for one do not complain about aerifying or shutting down the course.

The proof is the fantastic shape the course is in all summer.

[wils5150]

its amazing how much work gets done when you dont have golfers to contend with :)

[David in FL]

its amazing how much work gets done when you dont have golfers to contend with :)

I've always said, business would be GREAT, if only we didn't have to deal with customers or employees!

[wils5150]

lol true