Above, after the fairways are aerated and dragged with a chain link fence to remove the sand and soil, the thatch, remaining on the surface, is blown to the center of the fairway where is can efficiently be swept up. Below is a clean section of #9 fairway, showing the end result of our fairway aerification process. This year, I was much less aggressive on the hole spacing which means less holes per square foot.
On the left is a brand new aerification tine. One the right, is an aerification tine that started brand new and aerated the front nine holes at Highlands CC! Of course, the aerifier holds about 60 of these tines that are constantly moving up and down, making holes in the ground. The soil and sand is very abrasive to the steel and one set of 60 tines will last us about nine fairways before they need to be changed to a new set. The open area on the tine is where the plugs pop out of the tine. These types of tines are known as 3/4" hollow, side eject tines, which I prefer. Tine manufactures also make a top eject tine. The both come in a variety of sizes to meet the needs of what a Golf Course Superintendent is trying to achieve.