[CJ Carder]

I have a question that has been bugging me and I'd like for all the superintendents to respond - or anyone else for that matter.  My question is, what reasons would a golf course have for aerating their greens at this time of year?  The course calls it "venting," but to me, that's just a fancy name for "smaller holes." 

The course in question, which I'm sure at least 1 of you can guess which one it is, is located in the middle Atlantic area and also does aeration in the spring and fall and probably at one other undisclosed time during the year in addition to this seemingly random mid-summer process.

I genuinely don't understand why it would be done and I want to give the course the benefit of the doubt (which is why I'm looking for some explanations), but it seems to be the only course in the area that does it and I can't get a straight answer from the pro or the existing superintendent.

Thanks guys!

[Paul Carey]

Bent or Poa Annua greens? 

[CJ Carder]

Bent or Poa Annua greens? 

To be honest, I assume they are bent, but they don't seem uniform like what I envision bent greens to look like, so I'm not ruling out bermuda.  They do have patches of poa annua in them though, but it might only account for 10% of each green.

[John Moore II]

CJ-Where is your course? In Pinehurst, some courses aerify this time of year so to capitalize on the cooler season and more revenue from play. Also, I have heard some on this site say they aerify this time of year, and often in the summer, to allow for continuous water and air circulation in the greens. It prevents the plants from being too dense.

[Chris Moore]

I'd love to know this as well.  We have Tif-eagle greens here in South Louisiana, and have gone to a aerification program that punches and topdresses 4 times a year.  What this basically does is put the greens in a near-constant state of recovery, and right when the greens get smooth and firm again we get one week of good surfaces, and out come the tines to punch again.   This process has already occurred twice this year.

Disclaimer:  I know absolutely nothing about growing and caring for grass.

[CJ Carder]

Disclaimer:  I know absolutely nothing about growing and caring for grass.

Chris and I seem to think a lot alike.   

CJ-Where is your course? In Pinehurst, some courses aerify this time of year so to capitalize on the cooler season and more revenue from play. Also, I have heard some on this site say they aerify this time of year, and often in the summer, to allow for continuous water and air circulation in the greens. It prevents the plants from being too dense.

The course is here in Williamsburg, VA.  Exactly as Chris said above, we get like 2-3 weeks max of near perfect greens only to have them torn up again.  It's starting to affect our membership I think and I can't imagine it's really all that good for increasing outside play.

Would you be more likely to see something like this on smaller greens since there aren't as many pin placements and the foot traffic and ball traffic is fairly concentrated?

[John Moore II]

CJ-Has your Super all ready aerified this year, or is this the first? Ours aerified in February and then in Mid-May. I am not sure when another punch is scheduled. Small tine aerification is also a good option as it does not tear up the green as bad and does not take as long to heal.
--Ask your Super why he does it. Most Super's have enough personality and are conversive enough to tell you why things are done. I, personally, think that members should know why things are done on the course, especially since they are the ones paying for it to be done.

[Cory Brown]

Venting is exactly what it sounds like, it is aeration with small tines (usually solid) to aid in gas exchange.  It basically allows the plant to breathe.  During the year the surface will tend to seal over a little bit and the roots can't get enough air flow or water penetration, this can be a significant problem especially in the hot, humid mid-atlantic summers.  The tines used are usually very small and heal in a week or less.

As stated above ask your Golf Course Superintendent I am sure that he will be happy to answer your questions.  I promise that no Superintendent is aerifying to ruin your golf game.

[Tim Bert]

Venting is exactly what it sounds like, it is aeration with small tines (usually solid) to aid in gas exchange.  It basically allows the plant to breathe.  During the year the surface will tend to seal over a little bit and the roots can't get enough air flow or water penetration, this can be a significant problem especially in the hot, humid mid-atlantic summers.  The tines used are usually very small and heal in a week or less.

As stated above ask your Golf Course Superintendent I am sure that he will be happy to answer your questions.  I promise that no Superintendent is aerifying to ruin your golf game.

We had a pretty similar response to this one published in our monthly newsletter.  We live in a hot, humid area and have regular aeration in the spring and fall.  This year they are going to add a more regular cycle with the smaller tines between the two primary cycles.  The off-cycle ones have come back rather quickly and as of now the greens are in great shape.

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