Since we have been on the topic of the necessity of greens aerification, I posted this chart provided by the International Sports Turf Research Center. The USGA has a basic guideline of the percent disruption required each year in addition to sand incorporation. That recommended percentage is 20-25% to keep up with organic matter production. Remember, the more organic matter under the surface equates to soft, wet and slow greens. ISTRC has a recommendation of no more than 3% organic matter in the top 1" of profile.
The question is when do you create the 25% disruption? Do you space it out throughout the year? Do you do it all at once? Which way causes the least headache to the members? Organic matter accumulation doesn't stop because your club is seasonal and has a shorter timeframe to maximize revenue for the golf operation, unfortunately.
If we simply ignored this issue, you would eventually be forced to putt on greens that have the quality
of a low end public golf course. They would be consistently wet and may even need to be closed during times of prolonged rain. They would be a breeding ground for numerous diseases like pythium root rot, dampening off as well as insects. Water movement is impeded and puddling is common. Eventually, a USGA spec green will fail and rebuilding greens required. This alone requires closing the golf course for 4-6 months. And remember...grass only grows when temps are 70* during the day and 50* at night. This means you would lose the golf course during the season. It could not be done during the winter.
Aerification, although frustrating, is an extremely important aspect of putting green management. If you play golf in April at HCC, remember this and the long term benefits of this process. Also recall that the green and golf committees both had input on when these processes were done.
of a low end public golf course. They would be consistently wet and may even need to be closed during times of prolonged rain. They would be a breeding ground for numerous diseases like pythium root rot, dampening off as well as insects. Water movement is impeded and puddling is common. Eventually, a USGA spec green will fail and rebuilding greens required. This alone requires closing the golf course for 4-6 months. And remember...grass only grows when temps are 70* during the day and 50* at night. This means you would lose the golf course during the season. It could not be done during the winter.
Aerification, although frustrating, is an extremely important aspect of putting green management. If you play golf in April at HCC, remember this and the long term benefits of this process. Also recall that the green and golf committees both had input on when these processes were done.