Does that title sound backwards to anyone else?  For nearly five years I've been telling everyone, "We need to aerify one more time."  A couple of months later I would say it again. 

I'm happy to announce the first cancelled aerification in a very long time.  We've turned a corner and the greens really do not need to be opened up before the heat of the summer.  The calendar was set for a 1/4 inch hollow tine aerification next Monday following an outside event.  We have used this practice the last three years, to get some oxygen into the upper profile and relieve some of the stress associated with the widespread black layer that was choking the greens.

This time around, during our inspections of the greens, we realized that this additional aerification was not necessary.  The greens are draining very well, the roots are as deep as they've ever been, the thatch is just thick enough to handle traffic, sodium levels are in the acceptable range, and black layer is difficult to find.

The 1/4 inch aerification did not mess up the putting surface too much, usually healing in two to three days.  However, it did cost time and money which we will put to other uses while keeping the greens in great playing condition.  Part of that time is being redirected to places that may have never seen aeration.

  This photo is a little blurry, (taken with my scratched iPhone) and shows aerification on the green surround of #18 green.  We are using up the tines that punched the greens back in April.  After they are completely spent, we will switch the tine holders to the needle tine attachment for use on the greens.

"Wait a minute, I thought you said you weren't going to aerify the greens?"  Well, we are, and we're not.  I guarantee that this is not noticeable.  Needle tines are solid and the size of pencil leads.  We follow the process with a roller and normally finish in less than two days.  Let's call this process "venting." 

As the greens continue to improve in health and consistency, we can switch cultural methods to become less disruptive to play.  The needle tines fit this job description very well.  The plan is to complete the process early next week, so I'll put up a few pictures of the tines and their result. 

Finally, I've been a little technologically-limited the last few days as the DSL line that services the maintenance facility is out-of-order.  I'm embarrassed to admit how dependent I am to computers and I'm feeling guilty for not posting an update for a full week.  Right now, I'm borrowing a main office computer before the staff arrives and hope to get mine fixed ASAP.  The grass outside will continue to grow regardless of my emails, blogs, Excel files, or Adobe Photoshop, so the work goes on.

Have a great day and thanks for reading.