Aerification Completed!

Despite a semi-ominous forecast last week, the weather for aerification was absolutely idyllic, and everything went as well as it ever has.  On Easter afternoon, our full-time staff began the aerification and clean-up process.  With a crew of only seven, we were able to get eight greens aerified and cleaned that afternoon, and it set us up for a very productive Monday.

Yesterday, the remaining ten greens were aerified and cleaned, and the holes that were created were backfilled with sand topdressing.  It sounds much simpler than it really is.  However, the finished product was outstanding, if aerification can ever be so in a golfer’s mind.

Once again, we were fortunate enough to have help from the UW Turf Club.  For years, they have been helping with our greens aerification as a fundraiser.  This year, eleven students were able to lend a hand, and their assistance was a tremendous help.  They were responsible for cleaning ten of the greens, and once we’d filled the holes as much as possible with our equipment, they used brooms to move sand around each of the greens in order to fill the holes as well as possible.  And, when you get back on the course, I think that you’ll see that they did a tremendous job.  Accordingly, the greens will play as well as can be expected, and the holes will heal quickly.

The only negative is that, because such a thorough job was done in filling the holes on course, we ran out of topdressing sand and didn’t have enough to complete the putting green.  But, as of this morning, more sand has arrived, and we’ll be able to quickly finish the putting green, once the weather cooperates.

Speaking of weather, our resident guru, Mr. Tom Rath, sent Chad and I an interesting email concerning this spring’s frigid weather.  When considering the first 35 days of spring, this is the coolest year since 1996.  This year’s average high temperature has been 48.3 degrees, and over the past ten years, the next coolest spring was a 52 degree average in 2008.  Last year, the average high temperature was 60.5 degrees.  Obviously, this hasn’t been terribly conducive to getting our greens healed from the winter damage, but we’ve been pleased with the progress that we’ve seen in spite of the weather.

Hopefully, the weather will warm, the greens will heal from aerification and winter injury, and you’ll be able to fully enjoy your course in no time.