Course Update 8/15/19

Fairway aerification took place this week after postponing last week due to weather delays.  The same contractor was used during previous aerifications and all 27 holes were completed over four days (the fourth day was required due to rain on Tuesday).  Because we only closed 9 holes per day the contractor didn't need as much equipment, but still used three tractors, two large aerifiers, and one recycling machine with a total value of $180,000.  They charge us $270 per acre to core aerify and recycle the plugs which comes out to $10,800 for our 40 acres of fairway.  The aerifiers were setup with 48 hollow tines that removed a 3/4" diameter core 4" deep, which created 24 holes per square foot.  That equates to 41,817,600 holes across all the fairways.  That may seem like a lot of holes, but it only affected 5% of the total surface area.  The next step in the process is topdressing all the fairways, which will begin after the Men's Member/Member tournament.

Aerification is an important and necessary practice in providing great playing conditions.  CLICK HERE to learn more about the process and why we do it.

The contractor uses two large aerifiers that each have a 98" working width for maximum productivity.

Once the plugs (cores) dry out enough they are broken up with two heavy steel drag mats that go over every fairway several times.  The goal is to separate the soil from the organic matter (thatch) so the soil can be worked back into the holes.

Once the fairways are dragged the contractor uses a recycling machine hooked to another tractor to pulverize the soil and thatch into finer pieces.

The debris on the surface of this fairway is thatch that was left after the recycling process.  Thatch is found in every turfgrass area and some thatch is needed to insulate and protect the plant.  Too much thatch is a problem and causes playing surfaces to be soft and spongy, and holds water which leads to more disease.

The final step in the process is for the maintenance staff to blow the thatch and any remaining debris off the fairways and then clean off irrigation heads, yardage markers and drains.  Here all five blowers are working together on Orchard #8 to clean off the lower fairway yesterday afternoon.