Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"! Today is Thursday, September 8th and putting green aerification is in the books for 2022! We performed a hollow-core aerification with 1/2 inch diameter tines on a tight 1.5 x 1.3 inch spacing producing 73.8 holes per square foot. Considering we have 122,607 square feet of putting green surfaces, we created just over 9 million holes impacting just under ten percent (9.28%) of the surface area.
In other words, this aerification was designed to impart maximum impact as we enter into a busy fall event schedule. The holes were back filled with soil amendments and nearly 50 tons of sand creating channels to help provide oxygen into the root zone and move water quickly from the surface down through the soil profile. Here is a great USGA Course Care Video illustrating the reasons why we aerify.
We managed a fortunate break with the weather this week too. Although Monday's rain dampened everyone's holiday golf, the 1.01" of off-and-on showers gave the golf course a much needed thorough soaking. It had been exactly one month (1.04" on Aug 5) since CGC had received that much rain and with the trees outcompeting turf this time of year it was really starting to show in parts of the rough. Also, with the rain moving through the region on Monday we managed to stay dry both days to get the job done. ;)I like that! 😏 #CGCturf pic.twitter.com/G0b8HKSdEN
— Matthew Wharton (@CGCGreenkeeper) September 7, 2022
Now with aerification in the books, and the days getting noticeably shorter it is time to set our sights on fall, and winter. Next on our agenda will be fall preemergent herbicide applications. Each year we treat over 100 acres of Bermudagrass tees, fairways, and rough with preemergent herbicide to manage unwanted winter annual grasses - most notably annual bluegrass (Poa annua). In other words, this annual treatment is what keeps our dormant Bermudagrass canopy "clean", without it the winter playing surface would be dotted with little Poa plants. This process takes multiple days and we typically target our applications for the end of September.
We have a few other projects on the horizon including some needed tree work, bunker renovations, and more designed to improve course conditions and ultimately your playing experience. I have outlined these in the upcoming Ross Report quarterly newsletter, so be sure and keep an eye out.
Football season is here, which means it truly is the best time of year to play golf at Carolina. Don't worry, the greens will heal before you know it. In the meantime, best of luck to Brett Boner and Hayes Brown as both players represent CGC in the 2022 U.S. Mid-Am at Erin Hills. Practice rounds are today and tomorrow and stroke play qualifying rounds are Saturday and Sunday.
See you on the course,
Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG
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