Aerification was a success!

This Monday we carried out our Spring aerification process, and everything went smooth!  This year we punched 1/2 inch sized holes and removed plugs of organic matter across all 27 holes.  One thing different this year was the fact that we topdressed the greens with sand first, before punching holes.  By topdressing first we were able to significantly reduce the tracks left by the topdressing machine.  In the past we would topdress immediately after removing the plugs, and the greens were very soft and impressionable.  The heavy topdressing machine would leave tire marks visible for up to 3 months at times, as well as effecting the putting quality.  It appears our new method of topdressing first worked very well, and actually allowed us to move more rapidly than ever before.  We completed 25 greens, or a little over 4 acres of putting green surface in 1 day!  Congratulations to our whole staff for a job well done!

Here is a picture of the first green of the morning!  You can see the sand already on the green as the machine works along.

Here is a good view of the "core collector" attached to the back of the aerifier.  This tool helps to drag all the plugs to the side of the greens to be picked up and removed.

Core Collector filling up with plugs!  You can see in the bottom of the picture all the holes we punched in the greens.  These holes will soon be filled with new healthy roots for the grass plants!

#9 Green as we start to aerify.  The crew stands on each side to shovel plugs up into the utility vehicles.  We will dump these plugs in some cool season areas to grow, as the grass in the plugs is still very alive and healthy.

After punching holes, we drag the greens with a brush.  This brush helps to incorporate the sand into the holes to ensure they are all filled up and smoothed out.  We will then come behind the brush with a roller to roll the green smooth.

Here is a picture of the Topdressing machine, applying an even layer of sand before we punch holes.