Aeration - To play or not to play?

[Matt Wharton]

GCA'ers as a course superintendent that just finished aerating practically his entire course (greens, tees and fairways last week; roughs as we speak) I was wondering what you gents do when us "grass cutters" tear the "you-know-what" out of your golf courses.  As a player I have played many a round on recently aerated greens or fairways and don't even blink when I encounter tees recently aerated but I was wondering about you guys.  Through the years I am amazed at individuals that will hit into the operators of fairway aerators and last week watched a group of ladies try to advance the ball up an entire fairway freshly covered in 3/4" aerator cores!  So what say you people about whether or not you ever have or ever would hit into a green covered in cores or try and hit a smooth 5 iron from the fairway teed up on some cores?  Just curious! 

[Stephen Davis]

I have. This winter our local courses flooded. In an attempt to get them ready they aerated the fairways shortly after the flood waters receded. However, they were not able to pick up the plugs and they lay there for about a week. It was either play through it or don't play. I chose to play through it. I think I am still pulling plugs out of my shoes

[Carl Johnson]

GCA'ers as a course superintendent that just finished aerating practically his entire course (greens, tees and fairways last week; roughs as we speak) I was wondering what you gents do when us "grass cutters" tear the "you-know-what" out of your golf courses.

Depends on the situation -- the extent to which the course is messed up.  (Note: I played Matt's course the day after said aeration.)

As a player I have played many a round on recently aerated greens or fairways and don't even blink when I encounter tees recently aerated but I was wondering about you guys.

I have no problem with playing on recently aerated greens and fairways that have been cleaned up -- but see below.

Through the years I am amazed at individuals that will hit into the operators of fairway aerators

Would not do that.  Would never hit onto anyone working on the green.  When I played last week the day after the aeration had started, but not yet finished, we came upon two holes, 11 and 12, on which your staff was finishing the cleaning up process.  We simply skipped those holes and went on to 13.

and last week watched a group of ladies try to advance the ball up an entire fairway freshly covered in 3/4" aerator cores!

When we played the day after, last week, the cores had not yet been cleaned from no. 1 or 9 (par 3, so less of an issue).  We played those holes anyway (lift, clean, and place).  However, if plugs still covered all of the fairways, I'd take a pass on golf that day.

So what say you people about whether or not you ever have or ever would hit into a green covered in cores

If the cores are still on the green, I would not (never have) hit onto the green.

or try and hit a smooth 5 iron from the fairway teed up on some cores?

Well, as I said above, we did play no. 1 and simply did the lift, clean and place for our two or three fairway shots -- as far as I know, no one tried to tee it up on a core!

Just curious!  

Bottom line -- I'd still play if I could get in most of a round under good conditions, but would not want to deal with any green that was still a work in process, or with all of the fairways covered with plugs.

[Matt Wharton]

Carl,

You and your friends are the best!  Nothing is more appreciated by me and my staff than to see someone use common sense and pick-up and go around when the conditions dictate that is the best thing to do.  I had one group of ladies do just that when I was aerating the 6th fairway Thursday morning but the very next group of ladies played the hole while I kept trucking up and down the center of the fairway!

[Bill Brightly]

I will never forget the first time I saw my home course after an aggressive August aeration! We had just replaced an old superintendent with his top assistant, and I guess the marching orders were to bring our course conditions up to par with our peer clubs in the area. Well, he pulled large cores and verticut EVERYTHING. I had not checked the book and had no idea this was going to happen, showed up on a Thursday afternoon to play, and almost got physically sick when I walked through the pro shop doors and saw the course! It looked like we had been in a war and lost! That began my education on what needs to be done to have a course in top condition.

That was ten years ago, and he has done it every August (and milder aeration every June) and our course condition has gotten SO much better each year. Certainly it is an annoyance and I have no desire to play golf there right after aeration, but I'll put up with it because the benefits are so obvious. When I became Grounds Chair, I helped convince the board to totally close the course for three days so that the crews can work without interruption, and then the entire course heals together rather than stretching it out over two weeks.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I assume you mean big holes on the greens. why would you do all at once? It seems that the small holes on the greens overlapping the fairways and tees makes for a more playable situation during the healing process. No I do not play when big holes are on the greens. The tees and fairways can be worked with.

[Tim Martin]

I am not fond of playing after recent green aeration. I believe it is the shop`s duty to tell anyone that calls a public facility of same.

[Carl Johnson]

You are not familiar with the green staff's work might want to take a look at Matt's blog, the most recent entry being about some problems encountered with the just-completed aeration.  http://www.carolinagreenkeeper.blogspot.com/

[Mark Steffey]

popping the course means it's time for a road trip.  let the guys have the room to work and let the course have some time off to recover.