The greens are great!! Must be time to aerify.

Aerification time is here again and just when the greens are healthy and rolling true, we're about to tear them up. I know it seems strange to punch thousands of holes into a surface that is smooth, green, and dense. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

I subscribe to this thought regularly, but not with greens. We need to be out in front of the problems and complete all the mandatory preventative maintenance that keeps our greens in the best shape possible. The fact is, they are not perfect. They need an injection of oxygen after a long season of traffic and poor quality water. Sodium has piled up in the soil and air porosity has decreased. We are not seeing any symptoms from these problems and we don't want to. So we punch some holes and make it breath again.

Fall aerification is my favorite of the year. There is little chance of rain to spoil the day and soil temps are very high. This promotes excellent growth and quick healing. We are always healed up in fall in a week's time. Spring is another story, sometimes needing up to 3 weeks to fully recover, especially in shady locations.

So next week, expect some sand on the greens and a few more maintenance workers getting in your way. We send staff out to make sure that each and every aerification hole is filled with sand. The crew will be working with buckets and brooms to fill the holes and to remove any excess material. The topdress will be pretty heavy in order to "cap" each hole. This makes for a smoother surface later on and prevents the dimple pattern that most golfers know all too well.

Nearly all the holes will be healed in a week and the greens will be firmed up and sped up within two weeks. This time of year, working in the predictable San Diego climate, we know what to expect and how the greens will respond. By late October, you'll be playing greens that are smoother, greener, and healthier than what you see today.

Thank you for your patience during the next couple weeks. We enjoy making a mess every once in a while and you'll enjoy the results when we clean things up.