Greens Agronomy - Day 2

As of 2:00 pm this afternoon the back 9 was re-opened and ready for play.  The process went well, thanks mostly to a fantastic crew and partially because of the clear weather.  Below is a photo of the hole created by the "talon" tines (this is our chipping green, you may also see the sanded holes left from the 5/8" hollow tines two weeks earlier). 



The "talon" tines are essentially a small cross, instead of the traditional round tine.  With slow recovery speeds this time of year, we tried something new.  This season, we coupled the above treatment with relatively intensive vertical cutting.  In the end, we are hoping to still accomplish the four goals of aerification: thatch management, compaction relief, gas exchange, and improved water infiltration, without the impact on play.  



Throughout the rest of the week we will be "topping off" the greens that require a little more sand.  In addition, we will be brushing and rolling frequently to smooth out the putting surfaces for the last few weeks of play. 

 

Thank you for your patience with the process.  Practices like these keep our greens healthy and rolling true.

 

Below is a photo of our Procore operator, Joe, and the talon tine pattern on the chipping green (you may also notice how this treatment "squeezes" the 5/8" holes together possibly speeding up healing time for the slow growth we observe in September).