Fairway verticut

This contraption is called a Big Vac and is used to verticut fairways.  It is composed of a drum with some dangling metal blades that spin quickly to cut through our bermuda fairways and thatch.  Another drum fit with very stiff bristles, spins back toward the tractor and a vacuum pulls the debris into the hopper.  The result is fairly clean surface with grooves all the way to the soil.  You might think the process is damaging and counterproductive, but it actually will improve the fairways in many ways.

Thatchy bermuda has the tendency to scalp during mowing.  The damaged bermuda turns brown and can require more than a week to recover.  Verticutting removes some of the thatch, smooths the surface, reduces that spongy feeling, and greatly reduces scalping potential.  Also, when bermuda is cut like this, a natural defense response sends out new shoots of fresh bermuda that is stronger than the old stuff we just ripped out. Other benefits include better drainage, improved ball roll, firmer footing, less disease pressure, and a increase in density.

The photo on the left is #8 fairway, just after the Big Vac finished up.  We mowed before the process and return afterwards for two more cuts in opposite directions.  Some of the brown lines are from thatch showing through the canopy and other lines are from an abundance of clippings.  This fairway is nearly 100% bermuda and will only improve after this process is complete.  Full recovery will take a couple of weeks, but the benefits are well worth the discoloration.

We'll take a closer look at verticutting greens in an upcoming post.  Our new blades are working very well and accomplish one of the critical processes towards achieving an excellent surface.