With the golf course closed for the season, it's time to start doing the disruption to the playing surfaces that we choose not to do while the golf course is open. Today, fairway aeration started and we are hoping to have this completed and cleaned up before December 23rd. If we aerated fairways in September, like most clubs in the area do, the process would only take about 4 days to complete. However, when we do it this time of year, it takes over 3 weeks. There are a couple reasons for that. First, we don't have the same amount of man power available to pick up the aeration plugs. Second, we have to work around the weather and frost delays. Sometimes the conditions are such that we can't get out on the course at all or, we have to wait until noon to begin because of a hard freeze. Finally, when we do get rain, it takes longer for things to dry. We can't break up the plugs with a drag mat until they are fully dry. That can take a couple days because we don't have the sun at a high angle to help us. As forested as Highlands CC is, shade is a bigger challenge in the winter with the low sun angles.