April 8th and 9th Harmony will deploy a new piece of equipment for greens aerification. The machine, known as a “deep tine” or “verti-drain” aerator is capable of making deeper holes to penetrate the various profiles of material that make up USGA greens. The tines are 5/8” in diameter and 9” long which produce an aerifying depth of almost 8”. Now water will be able to move deeper through the greens profile to subsurface drainage, creating space for deeper root growth. Over time, moving water through the layers of compacted soil to the drainage system will produce a firmer putting surface. Historically, there’s been a shallower depth of aerification; water and air have not been able to penetrate through the profile to the drainage system. The deep tine machine will get us through that layer reactivating the performance of the greens complex.
This three-step aerification process consists of a heavy top dressing of sand, followed by deep tine profile penetration. Equipment is then used to drag the sand into the holes. A healthy amount of irrigation follows to make the sand move down the channels created by the deep tine. Additional top-dressing with more sand is repeated only if aerification holes are still visible.
Fairways have been verti-cut this spring beginning in March. This process will create a nice bed for seed and improved space for bulk application of soil amendments on April 4th. All the fairways are scheduled to be verti-cut by the time bulk application of amendment takes place. The tee boxes are also scheduled to be aerifyed and verti-cut this spring beginning the week of April 1st.
Check out the slide show below for a quick tutorial on the construction of a USGA putting green – this is the style of green used exclusively throughout the Harmony Club golf course.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Klemenz, our superintendent, at kevin@harmonyclub.info or by phone, 970-224-4622.
Golf Course Maintenance Spring 2019
