Golf Course News
Fall Aeration complete at Lake Tansi Golf Course
By Todd Mathews
Golf Course SuperintendentThe aerification process this fall went smoothly and the turf is healing quickly. The golf maintenance staff aerified all 20 greens on September 8th and did a very nice, neat job. They usually only complete one side per day but with the threat of rain looming they decided to take on the challenge of doing all the greens in one day. The staff worked diligently for 16 hours and got the job finished with no mistakes. Hopefully next year they can return to the normal process of completing one side per day.
The greens have healed incredibly fast this fall. When aerification is done while the grass is growing vigorously, healing time is greatly reduced. In the spring if aerification is started to early, while frost is still occurring and the temperatures are cool, the greens take forever to heal. It would be better to wait until the temperature increased and the turf started to grow to begin aerification. If the golf maintenance department could move spring aerification from March to April, the greens would heal significantly faster.
Cultural practices such as fertilization and increased irrigation also play an important role in recovery time after aerification. The maintenance staff at Lake Tansi uses fertilize about one week prior to aerification to encourage vigorous growth. When aerification is finished, they will increase irrigation amounts for 10 to 14 days. These two practices speed the healing process dramatically.
