This morning, I aerified a portion of the range tee that has experienced heavy use. The area was seeded and then dragged with a chain mat to break up the plugs. The holes help create a nice seed bed and also allow for better water infiltration. I've been a little disappointed in the range tee thess past 2 weeks. We had great recovery from divots with our seed/sand mixture using pregerminated seed. However, once it started to rain everyday, many of the seedlings died from wet wilt. The water puddles in the low spots and recovery is halted. My hope is the aerification like this will allow the water to drain faster.
On another note, in April I sent a core sample of our greens off to ISTRC (International Sports Turf Research Center). They analyze the core for organic matter percentages and physical properties. One of their agronomists called me last night to tell me about the results they got. Our greens are draining at a rate of 19" per hour! That is phenomenal for greens that are 16 years old. In addition, in the past 2 years, I lowered the organic matter percentage in the top inch from 2.9% to 1.6%. Again, an amazing feat that serves these greens well. The way I did it is simple: a solid greens aerification program. I know it is frustrating waiting for greens to heal in April and May, but know it is helping them for the long term. Our greens are functioning well and certainly aren't going to fail to poor drainage like many USGA spec greens can and will over time. Without your understanding and support, this kind of improvement would not have occurred.
Above is the screen on my computer that shows the data from the Turfguard sensors underneath the PG. Right now, we are at about 17% moisture. Here's how this works: I know from past experience that 13-14% is ideal. When it gets as low at 10%, I might start to see wilt. Now that this is quantified, I know exactly when to water. I also know, based on the current weather, what percentage of water the greens will lose. For example, if it is sunny and breezy, they may lose 1-2% moisture in a day. If it's cloudy with high humidity, I probably wont lose anything. But if i see that moisture % drop to about 12-13, I may need to think about adding irrigation water.