Golf Course News
Fall Aeration complete; Lack of rain hinders healing
By Todd Mathews
Golf Course SuperintendentFall Aeration went very well for the maintenance crew at Lake Tansi golf course. Dry weather made the chore of coring and cleaning go smoothly. But dry weather is also causing some headaches. Aeration will help to repair turf damage received in August, from the sweltering heat, but rain fall is also needed. The course last received rain on September 14th, almost 30 days ago. The rainless span has surpassed the 22 day rainless period in August. The ridiculous weather pattern has been tough on the maintenance staff at the course.
On September 24th an 80% chance of rain was predicted, so the maintenance staff decided to apply 8 tons of fall fertilizer. The rain never came. A wall to wall soaking rain is what the fertilize needed but a heavy amount of irrigation is what it got.
Several hundred pounds of seed have been planted on the course in areas damaged from the heat. The seed also needed some good rainfall to enhance germination. With the lack of rain, the irrigation system has been relied on heavily. Irrigation is nice but it does not replace oxygen filled and nutrient laden water from the sky.
The greens, tees, and fairways are healing but the process could be significantly accelerated with some timely rainfall. Aeration is a very important cultural process that must take place in the spring and fall. It relieves compaction, allows water and nutrients to move more freely in the soil, and promotes vigorous root growth. It is the goal for the maintenance staff to make the Aeration process go smoothly and cleanly in order to have minimal disruption in course playability. This falls process has been one of the best in that regard.
The maintenance crew used harvested plugs from the greens and tees to level humps and bumps in the fairways. This will help to provide better lies and a more uniform cut from the fairway mower.
The staff also added about 30 tons of high quality sand to many of the key bunkers. This is the second application of the high quality silica. They plan to keep adding the silica at each Aeration (as it is also used to topdress the greens). Over a short period of time, the condition of our bunker sand should drastically improve.
