The golf course was closed from August 20th to August 29th so that we could perform our semi-annual aeration process. As always, I would like to thank the management and members of our club for the patience and time that we are given. Also, I'd like to thank our assistants and equipment manager for their amazing efforts. Michael Nowicki, Duggan Cannon, Robert Andershonis, Blake Heinz, Adam Sauls and Terry Kennedy comprise one of the finest teams imaginable. These guys, supported by our tremendous staff, make Kinloch Golf Club what it is and I am sincerely grateful to work with this team.
Our greens have had a very strong season and this particular aeration was more like an aggressive venting than an aeration designed to modify the profile. The greens were aerated with 1/4" quad tines to a depth of 2.5". The greens were lightly topdressed on 3 separate occasions throughout the 10-day closure. They were rolled multiple times and lightly hand-brushed. The healing process is rapid and the greens are already putting well. Over the next ten days, as the greens fully heal and retain the appropriate smoothness and firmness, we will begin lowering heights and re-introducing our regular rolling practices. In addition to the aeration itself, our collars and interfaces were repaired where there was summer thinning. On the whole, I expect that our members will be pleased with how quickly the greens return to form. To that point, I'd like to remember the very aggressive, double, 1/2" core aeration that we perform each spring. Because this aeration is so aggressive (displacing 15% of our surface areas), our foundation for the season is set and we can be far more gentle in the summer. So, while our spring aeration is aggressive and the recovery can be trying, these methods are proving to be very effective in not only reducing summer stress, but allowing for an extended fall season.
Our tees and approaches were core aerated with 1/2" tines on 2" centers to a depth of 2.5". Once cleaned and rolled, these surfaces were topdressed with fresh sand. Once the sand was drug-in, the surfaces were rolled and mowed. In addition to the greens, any evidence of summer decline was addressed during the closure. The condition of the tees and approaches should rapidly return to form and theses areas are setup for a great fall season.
Our fairways were deep-tined on 3" centers to a depth of 7". Once the fairways were punched, they were rolled and mowed. There is almost no visible disruption to our fairway surfaces and like our tees and approaches, any summer decline from wet wilt was repaired. While our fairways are not perfect, they are in outstanding condition and poised for an awesome fall season.
Our rough and intermediate cuts are not aerated during the summer closure. Traditionally, we find that there is too much summer stress so we focused our efforts on over seeding areas of summer decline. Due to the rainfall and humidity of 2018, our rough was affected by decent amounts of summer patch and pythium. Although our spray program is well-designed and diligently applied, there are certain areas of the rough that are more sensitive than other areas. For these areas, we apply 7#'s per 1000 square feet of tall fescue seed, core aerate over top of the seed and then drag the area so that the seed finds the holes and we achieve great seed to soil contact. We are already seeing solid germination throughout the seeded areas and expect solid recovery over the next two weeks.
In addition to our summer aeration, the golf course native areas were mowed and trimmed, countless detail projects were executed and all of our landscaping received a fresh haircut. Coming out of this closure, I expect the golf course to be ready for a great fall season and look forward to seeing the activity ramp back up.
