Wednesday, April 10, 2013

REDHAWK SPRING GREENS AERIFICATION 4/16 - 4/17

It's time again for our regular Spring greens aerification!  which means we will be punching holes in the greens to give them a much needed breath of fresh air after a long and strenuous winter.  Greens aerification is a very common practice done on golf courses all around the world to maintain high quality playing surfaces.

Aerification serves as one of the most vital agronomic practices we as golf course managers can do to maintain a healthy stand of turfgrass to handle mechanical stress caused by foot traffic and golf course equipment.  As well as the extreme desert climate conditions through the hot Summer months.

A question that I am frequently asked is, why do we punch greens this time of year when the greens are growing so nicely?...

The answer is dependent on the type of turfgrass you are aerifying.  Here at RedHawk, our greens are made up of Dominant Plus bentgrass.  Bentgrass is most actively growing in the Spring and Fall seasons, which makes this time of the year ideal for the greens to make a safe and speedy recovery.  If we were to perform these types of mechanical practices during periods of heat stress in the summer or slow growth in the winter, then we risk turf lose or prolonged recovery time of the holes.


Our scheduled dates for aerification will begin this coming Monday the 15th in the afternoon on the practice facility greens.  Tuesday, The front nine will be closed for aerfication while the back nine will remain open for play.  Our final day, Wednesday, will switch to a back nine closure for greens aerfication and the front will re-open for play.  By Thursday all 18 holes will be open for play.  Below are the dates to note for next week;

4/15 - Practice facility greens in the afternoon
4/16 - Front nine closed for greens aerifcation (Back nine is open for play)
4/17 - Back nine closed for greens aerification (Front nine is open for play)

We thank you for your understanding and patience with all of our efforts to make RedHawk Golf Club a fun and enjoyable golfing experience.

-Your Maintenance Team