It's that time of year again. Just when the greens are getting good, we go and mess them up again. As much as golfers hate it when we aerify the greens, golf course superintendents dread it just as much.
What exactly are we trying to accomplish with all this unwanted work? Two things: First, by filling the aerification holes with sand, we are increasing the amount of oxygen in the soil, and turfgrass roots need oxygen to survive. Second, the more sand there is in the soil, the firmer the greens will be. And firm greens make for a smoother and more consistant putting surface.
First the greens are drilled. The soil is cleaned up...
and the last remaining soil is blown off.
Next, we topdress with sand and aerify again.
The greens are rolled to smooth out the holes.
And the last step is to drag the greens to fill all the holes with sand.
