Welcome to the Maintenance Blog for Radrick Farms Golf Course. Visit this blog to view pictures and other information about golf course projects and maintenance practices on the golf course.

Friday, November 7, 2014

2014 Greens Aeration Summary

The greens are in great shape going into winter thanks to the 2014 aerification process.

Looking back, we had great weather for this season's greens aeration. The golf course was open for play with a progressive number of temporary greens each day of this three day process. We decided to try this "course-open-during-aeration" experiment for a few reasons. We wanted our customers to see our Team in action as we tackled this important undertaking. Plus, we needed more time as we decided to add an important step to our fall greens aeration process.

Deep tine machine.
This year we incorporated a deep tine aeration into our traditional hollow core aeration. By doing both processes at the same time we only disrupted the putting surface once. We were able to create a deeper channel (depths of 10") for air, water ,and sand to improve drainage deeper than the traditional 4" depth of the core aeration. This depth also allows rooting to go deeper into the profile.

We monitor and test the physical make-up of the green profile bi-annually to determine the best cultural practices. We are seeing great results using the 1/2" tines. We will continue to monitor our current program and do whats in the best long term interest of the greens' health.

Thanks to our golfers for their patience during this important process. And thanks to our Team for doing a great job!