2 aerifications 10 weeks apart

[Tom ORourke]

I am a member at a course in South Carolina. We do aerification at the end of May, or first week in June, right after our member guest. It always seems to take about 6 or 7 weeks for the greens to get back to being good. I know that seems long but we have been keeping track for the past few years. That means all of June and half of July we have balls bouncing all over. We are finally (July week 3) at that good stage. Our next aerification is set for August 8th. We will have good greens for two or three weeks max in the summer, which seems a little crazy to most of us. What is a standard schedule for southern courses with Bermuda greens? I came here from New Jersey where our superintendent used to aerify much earlier than here and a little later, even though the growing season was much shorter. Is aerifying 10 weeks apart a valid schedule? And, we just fired our superintendent a few weeks ago so I am wondering if his schedule was a good one. Thanks.

[Buck Wolter]

I am a member at a course in South Carolina. We do aerification at the end of May, or first week in June, right after our member guest. It always seems to take about 6 or 7 weeks for the greens to get back to being good. I know that seems long but we have been keeping track for the past few years. That means all of June and half of July we have balls bouncing all over. We are finally (July week 3) at that good stage. Our next aerification is set for August 8th. We will have good greens for two or three weeks max in the summer, which seems a little crazy to most of us. What is a standard schedule for southern courses with Bermuda greens? I came here from New Jersey where our superintendent used to aerify much earlier than here and a little later, even though the growing season was much shorter. Is aerifying 10 weeks apart a valid schedule? And, we just fired our superintendent a few weeks ago so I am wondering if his schedule was a good one. Thanks.

Wait for it.........

[corey miller]

I know nothing about maintaining turfgrass.  What I do know is the many "member related" dynamics that can make a difference on a maintenance schedule.   

[Anthony_Nysse]

Probably don't want to come to FL in the summer, then. Getting 2 aggressive aerifications in during the growing months in SC can be tough. We aerifiy in June and August here. We heal a little quicker because we are warmer, earlier. I do know some clubs in SC that close for an entire month and 2x aerify at that period.

Most of the time in the Carolinas, the best times of year for golf is spring and fall. Therefore, aggressive cultural practices happen in the summer in a tight window.

[Steve Okula]

The superintendent would be the best person to answer your questions, but he's probably doing it that way just to annoy you.

[jeffwarne]

The superintendent would be the best person to answer your questions, but he's probably doing it that way just to annoy you.

LOL

That is when hes not going out of his way to ruin Ladies day:)

[Greg Chambers]

Steve,


The superintendent isn't there anymore...so he's got that going for him.

[Tom ORourke]

The super got fired, but not because of this schedule. I did get some e-mails as well as the replies and this seems to be fairly standard in the south. I was over in Hilton Head last week and one of the courses I played had the same schedule. I am not sure why the spacing is not wider, but I am coming from a bent grass course up north to the south and was trying to learn why the closeness. Our greens are still fairly soft and you can still see the holes from the prior work so it isn't like we are going from perfect to punched. It just seems strange to me that we go 9 months between aerifications and then twice in less than 3 months, but if that is what is needed then I am all for it. Thanks for the replies.

[Steve Okula]

As people have speculated in previous posts, it may be because bermudagrass is growing fastest in the summer, so the recovery time is minimized. Perhaps the summer in your area coincides with low levels of play as well? In northern climates bentgrass grows fastest in spring, and to a lesser extent in the fall.

Count yourself lucky to have only two aerations. Three years ago I did a tour of several  top courses in the northeast U.S. and superintendents told me they were doing three core aerations per year, notably at Winged Foot and Pine Valley. 

[Anthony_Nysse]

The super got fired, but not because of this schedule. I did get some e-mails as well as the replies and this seems to be fairly standard in the south. I was over in Hilton Head last week and one of the courses I played had the same schedule. I am not sure why the spacing is not wider, but I am coming from a bent grass course up north to the south and was trying to learn why the closeness. Our greens are still fairly soft and you can still see the holes from the prior work so it isn't like we are going from perfect to punched. It just seems strange to me that we go 9 months between aerifications and then twice in less than 3 months, but if that is what is needed then I am all for it. Thanks for the replies.

Tom,
  My first southern golf course that I worked at was on Hilton Head and coming from MI, it was certainly a change. Bermuda grass is more aggressive grower than bentgrass and that far south, it can grow over aggressively 7+ months of the year, (April-Oct) thus creating more thatch and organic material. That in turn requires more aerification to remove it.
  Down here, we grow 9-10 months a year. 3 aerifications or 2 with the biggest hole we can pull is very common.

[Randy Thompson]

Tom,
You stated, It always seems to take about 6 or 7 weeks for the greens to get back to good. That seems like an awful long time especially during summer on Bermda grass. Anyways, try talking to the new super and see what can be done to shorten healing time.