what is aerification on the golf course

Aerification (also known as aeration) achieves three important objectives, the GCSAA explains:

• It relieves soil compaction;
• it provides a method to improve the soil mixture around the highest part of a green's roots;
• and it reduces or prevents the accumulation of excess thatch.

Full Answer

What is golf course aeration and why is it important?

"Preventative maintenance is an integral part of successful golf course management. Golfers view aerification as an inconvenience that takes the greens out of play for a day, pulling cores from the greens and leaving holes that can affect putting for many days before healing. To add insult to injury, aerification is best done in many part of the country during mid-summer, at the height …

What is aerification of a golf green?

Nov 30, 2021 · In aeration, holes are placed into the greens to allow air to pass into the soil beneath them. When the soil beneath the surface of the green becomes compact, aeration is necessary. Grass roots are unable to breathe when the soil is compressed.

What happens to a golf course without aerification?

Updated on 05/23/18. Think of golf course aeration as preventive maintenance: It's the (typically) annual process of punching little holes into greens (and sometimes fairways) that opens up growing room for grass roots and helps keep the turfgrass healthy. (It's also called "aerification.")

What is Aerification and why do you need it?

Dec 02, 2021 · In aeration, holes are placed into the greens to allow air to pass into the soil beneath them. When the soil beneath the surface of the …

How long does it take for greens to recover from Aerification?

It usually takes a golf course two weeks to recovery from properly done golf course aeration. Once the grass grows back through the aeration holes to a healthy level, the mowers and rollers come back, typically with greens as good as new.Aug 29, 2016

What does aerating a golf course mean?

Aeration holes allow excess moisture to evaporate and promote gas exchange in the soil, resulting in stronger root systems and turf that is better able to tolerate golfer traffic. Proper timing of aeration will ensure the fastest possible recovery and return to smooth surface conditions.Apr 11, 2016

When should a golf course aerate?

The most common time to aerify is late summer, and that's also widely thought to be the best time to aerate, agronomically speaking, because holes heal quickly, and greens have typically recovered before any late-summer or autumn golf tournaments.

What is the difference between aeration and Aerification?

As adjectives the difference between aerated and aerified is that aerated is supplied or infused with air or oxygen while aerified is converted into gas.

What does Aerification mean?

Aerification is the process by which holes are put into the greens to allow for air to be able to get into the soil beneath the green. This aeration process is needed when the soil beneath the surface of the green becomes compacted. When the soil is compacted, the grass roots struggle to breathe.Jun 30, 2020

How long does aeration last?

While aeration itself can take just a couple of hours, depending on the size of your commercial property, plugs typically break down in about two weeks.Aug 18, 2014

What happens if you don't aerate greens?

Thatch is a layer of old plant material that accumulates at the soil surface. If thatch on putting greens is not diluted by aeration and topdressing, it will act like a sponge, holding water near the surface. Excessive thatch creates soft playing conditions, inconsistent green speeds and increases the risk of disease.Sep 7, 2017

What happens if you don't aerate your lawn?

1 Aeration creates holes down into the soil to alleviate compaction so air, water and nutrients can reach grass roots. Deprived of their basic needs by compacted soil, lawn grasses struggle in stressful situations, such as heat and low rainfall, and lose their healthy, rich color.

Can I aerate my own lawn?

You can aerate on your own schedule instead of waiting for a pro. You can water your own lawn if you need to. Aeration works best when the soil is moist. You can decide how many times to run the aeration machine over the lawn, and hit especially compacted soil many times.Oct 3, 2019

How many times a year do golf courses aerate?

This is typically done one to three times a year, depending on the course, the type of greens, and in what part of the country they are located. "The practice of core aeration is done when the grass is growing the most aggressively, so they can have the quickest recovery time," Moeller said.Sep 12, 2018

How do you pronounce aerates?

0:051:01How To Say Aerates - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipEr weitz gates er weitz gates er weitz gates.MoreEr weitz gates er weitz gates er weitz gates.

How do you aerate a golf green?

During the playing season, courses usually choose to do venting aeration which is basically placing a bunch of small needles into the ground in order to break up the turf. This process is done throughout the year and is usually does not affect ball roll or playing conditions at all after a couple days.Nov 28, 2017

What is aeration in golf?

Think of golf course aeration as preventive maintenance: It's the (typically) annual process of punching little holes into greens (and sometimes fairways) that opens up growing room for grass roots and helps keep the turfgrass healthy. (It's also called "aerification.")

How does a golf green aerify?

To aerify a golf green a piece of machinery built for the task cores the ground (punches holes and removes the dirt) in a certain pattern. (The small cores of dirt that are removed are called "plugs.") Air and water are thus infused into the ground at root level, and space opened up for new root growth. The holes left behind are filled ...

Why do golf courses need aeration?

The bottom line on why golf courses go through the process of aerified greens is that over time it keeps the greens healthier. This is the case because: 1 Aeration loosens soil that has been compacted by golfers walking over it and machines rolling over it. 2 This opens up growing room for the roots and increases oxygen to the roots. 3 The roots of the turfgrass thus can grow deeper, creating a healthier putting surface.

What is topdressing in golf?

The holes left behind are filled with sand in a process called "topdressing.". Once topdressed, a course is said to have "sanded greens.". The greens are left alone for a few days (although golfers may still play them) and the grass allowed to grow. The topdressing gradually disappears as watering takes place.