Martin's Musing No 2  Aeration ( hollow coring of greens)

In the second of his occassional series course superintendent Martin Lipsett discusses the Aeration of Greens.

Article No 2     Aeration ( hollow coring of greens) by Martin Lipsett

  A recent survey by the National Golf Foundation listed conditions players consider to be most disturbing:

1 Unrepaired pitch marks

2 Bunkers in poor condition

3 Recently aerated greens ( hollow coring)

4 Tees in poor condition

5 No drinking water on the course.

In this piece I am going to cover one of the above complaints : aeration ( hollow coring of greens).There are complex reasons why we make holes in parts of the golf course from greens, tees,fairways and pathways to surrounds,approaches and even somtimes the rough. However, when it comes to aeration especially on greens we can seldom win. Before I discuss the main function of aerating the greens it is worth reminding golfers that to provide healthy turf and good putting surfaces it is important that the grass plants have a good healthy root structure. It is a fact that roots do not grow in the soil , they grow in the spaces between the soil particles.If these air spaces become displaced and fill with water, the roots despite needing water will stagnate and die.

Function of Hollow Coring

Aeration of the playing surfaces is aimed at improving the air content of the soil, while it also counteracts stagnation and related toxicity, both by increasing spaces between the soil particles and by opening up the structure of the compacted soil. It is also an important process in achieving a proper air / water ratio in the soil. Thus it plays a vital role in improving drainage and increasing soil porosity, therby preventing flooding after heavy rain. Flooding is invariably caused by surface sealing,due to compaction. By maintaining a healthy structured root medium the benefits will automatically produce a turf dominated by the the desired grasses. These species ,as well as being fine leafed are all deep rooting.

More Play Demands More Aeration

Aeration is certainly needed and is probably the single most important aspect of management in the treatment of turf for golf. It is easy to neglect this work as pressure increases to produce quality playing surfaces all year round. As with all operations it is best to do the work before it becomes obvious that it needs to be done.If greens are aerated regularly all year round then you will not see any striking benefits but if you stop you will most certainly soon see the deterioration.There are occassions during the year when surface disturbance has to be tolerated by members and golfers. By trying to keep members happy in the short term the result could be degraded greens and a long period of intense remedial work. The more a golf course is used the the greater the need for aeration.

Conclusion

Aeration is needed to keep the course and greens in good shape all year under increasing usage and in adverse weather conditions especially during winter months. While mowing is the most important operation in the presentaion of good quality playing surfaces and top dressing lightly on a regular basis the best way to produce true firm putting surfaces, there is no question but that aeration is the single most important routine corrective treatment for all heavily used playing surfaces on the golf course. All playing surfaces need aeration and the more the course is subjected to traffic the more it will benefit from from it. Prevention is better than cure. Finally as for aeration the normal rules of greenkeeping apply in reverse. if in doubt get in and fork them up.

Our Planned Aeration Programme for the Year

Spring:             mini-tine all greens and approaches

                          hollow-core all tee boxes

                          vertidrain pathways , weak areas, wet fairways  etc.

Summer:        weekly hydrojecting of six greens

Autumn:          hollow -core greens if required

                          hollow-core tees, approaches, walkways etc.

Winter:            mini-tinning of greens and approaches, October, November and December.

                          slitting of greens , January and February.

                          on-going vertidraining of all areas on a daily basis.