But the Greens Were Just Getting Good

Yes, It's that time of year again. We have so much fun aerifying and topdressing the greens that we decided to aerify them twice this spring. Both times with 5/8"tines. We call these "medium" size tines, as opposed to small, 3/8" tines or large 3/4" tines. We will be aerifying the putting green and greens 1-18 on Monday, April 7th. We will be aerifying and topdressing the Par-3 Course greens on Wednesday, the 9th. We do the same process again, starting on Monday, April 21st. It may sound  crazy to aerify only two weeks apart but the idea behind aerifying is to open up holes so we can get sand down into the greens. By getting all that sand (150 tons) into the greens in April, we won't need to do it again for the rest of the year. Time to make plans for that month long trip to Europe!

 

 

Aerifyer on the right and picking up the plugs on the left

The Following United States Golf Association Article first appeared in the USGA Green Section Record. This is the second in a 4 part series.

 

Keeping A Golf Course Looking Pristine Commences With Proper Etiquette

Ball MarksFew aspects of etiquette generate more discussion than the fixing of ball marks (at least now that most courses no longer allow spiked shoes) and even superintendents disagree on the best method of ball mark repair.
The inability to agree on a single best method stems from the fact that ball marks are not all the same. On soft greens, a shot that descends from a very steep angle produces a deep, almost circular ball mark. On the same green, a shot that comes in low and hard will produce an elongated tearing of the green, and it often removes a plug of grass and soil. Ball marks on soft greens take time to repair properly.

Compacted soil needs to be lifted gently and the raised sides of the ball mark need to be gently pushed back toward the center. The elongated mark needs to be kneaded back together by pushing in from the sides, stretching the turf rather than tearing it. Replacing removed turf seldom accomplishes much so it is best to leave it out.

In contrast, very firm greens can resist ball marks so well that they can be hard to find at all. On such greens the marks will be slight indentations that require a minimum of effort to repair. These marks can be repaired with a very slight lifting to restore smoothness.

Do - Restore surface smoothness by gently pushing from the sides and, in some cases, gently lifting the compressed area.

Don't - Aggressively twist (like that so often used by pros on national television), which does more harm than good.

Employee Group Picture

Click photo to Enlarge