There are a large variety of aerification processes and techniques. Each variation has a particular application. You may even notice that the same machine can be utilized differently depending on if it were on greens versus tees. Turf people use words like venting, punching, coring, pulling cores and many more. Don’t be fooled; they are all simply aerification. Though not popular among golfers, aerification is critical to producing healthy and sustainable turf.

The aerification program at Rose Hill has been created based on the data we have collected as well as an awful lot of experience and expertise.

On Monday, Dryject aerification was completed on all the native soil greens as well as the putting green, 14, 15 and 16. These specialized machines inject sand into the soil. The column of sand allows water to penetrate and gas exchange in the soil.

The next will be a conventional aerification (pulling cores) on the back side. Topdressing with sand and then brushing it in serves to create a column in the soil just like the Dryject. So why not Dryject them all? Primarily because Dryject does not remove thatch. From the lack of proper maintenance in the past, thatch is thick on all the greens.

Because reducing thatch levels takes time, you’ll see an additional aerification technique called venting. This process is quick and creates small slits with minimal disruption to play. Given the slits don’t stay open long, this will be done often in order to help get the turf healthy.

As we collect more data and react to Mother Nature, the plan going forward may be altered in a number of ways based on what can yield the best results with the resources available.