Core Aerification Process

This past Monday, the Greens were core aerified and heavily topdressed with sand.  The photos below illustrate the process, which takes a full twelve hours to accomplish.  We core aerify the greens once per growing season.  This cultural practice is scheduled in the spring to improve water infiltration and increase field capacity of the profile.  The benefits are reaped in the upcoming heat of the summer.  Aerification is a "mandatory" surface disruption that allows for the exceptional surfaces that the membership experience throughout the other forty seven weeks of the season.  I say forty seven weeks, because the healing process will take approximately five weeks from coring to re-established perfection.  Improvement will be noted daily.  Soil temperature and weather can impact the recovery period.  If it is cold the recovery process is slower.  The idea of delaying core aerification until April (when both air and soil temperatures are higher and day length is longer) has been discussed by the Green Committee and will be decided upon in the next few months. 

Process:


1.  Coring the greens via walk behind machine with 5/8" O.D. (Outside Diameter) tines to a depth of 4".
2.  Hand removal of cores.
3.  Blowing the greens to remove excess debris.
4.  Rolling the greens to achieve a smooth surface for sand applications.
5.  Applying sand via a topdressing machine to a volume enough to fill the holes and blanket the surface.
6.  After the sand is allowed to dry, the sand is brushed into the holes via a drag brush attached to a utility cart.  Subsequent hand brushing is utilized to address sand depth consistency.
7.  Water is then applied to assist in the settling of the sand and to adequately hydrate the plant for recovery.
8.  Nightly watering assists in sand settling.
9.  Roll the surface and mow when Bentgrass growth peaks through the sand.  (Roughly one week after Sand application)