Aeration, Verticutting and Topdressing

The wet start to spring the past two weeks has posed many challenges for us, especially in regards to aerating the greens and fairways. The poor weather forced us to get creative. We needed to remove organic matter from the greens, but also had to take into consideration whether the greens will heal quickly while minimizing disruption to play. Our solution was twofold, aerate the greens with solid tines and follow up by verticutting the greens. The solid tines do not remove any material from the greens making the operation much less disruptive. The verticutting does remove organic matter from the greens while minimizing disturbance to the putting surface.

The process involved multiple teams of Willow Ridge employees to synchronize their work in order to efficiently cultivate the greens. It begins with mowing the greens so that we start with a clean and even surface. As soon as the mowers were finished the aerator starts to punch holes into the greens. The solid tines help to alleviate compaction in the soil and improve soil qualities.

After the aerator is finished on the greens it is time for the verticutter. This machine uses many vertical blades that act as a saw blade to pull organic matter out of the surface. The organic matter is left on the greens and needs to be blown off and removed. The open grooves allow sand to be incorporated into the surface of the green eliminating grain and providing firmer conditions.

Verticutting

Blowing off debris from verticutting

Grooves from verticutting before topdressing

Once the verticutting is finished, we topdress the greens with sand in order to fill in the grooves. The sand is brushed in with a tow-behind brush to ensure its spread equally across the greens. Sand is spread on the greens to help dilute organic matter and to ensure the greens are true and uniform.

Topdressing

Brushing the topdressing into the grooves

We understand that aerating the greens can be disruptive to the golfers. However it is imperative that we continue this process to ensure the long term health of the greens. We thank you for your patience while we strive to provide the best playing conditions possible. Within 7-10 days the greens will be healed and ready for another great season.

Final result with small aeration holes and verticutting grooves filled with sand