Spot Aerifying with Needle Tines and Greens Infiltration Rates

Due to the storms on the way we canceled the one day member-guest and utilized this opportunity to needle tine some greens before the storm hits. Using our infiltrometer this morning we tested and received a reading of 9 inches per hour on the practice putting green, more specifically where every one walks on and off. We then went to another green on the course and got a reading of 30 inches per hour. After that it was evident we needed more readings and immediately went to our smallest greens, #3 and #6.  With readings of 7-9 inches per hour we decided to do the entire green.  If we can measure more often we can stay on top of the compaction rate and be more aware of creating a needle tine schedule so that we can be more proactive for a healthier green. Also in time of heavy play or events we can utilize a spot aerification on the greens while not interrupting play like we did on the practice green.

Lets recap where we were a couple of weeks ago on infiltration rates:

• September 29th Practice Greens reads 9 inches per hour
• October 1st we utilized the needle tine and readings were 24 inches hour.
• October 8th the practice green was reading 22 inches per hour
• October 15th readings were back to 9 inches per hour on the practice green. In between the 29th and the 15th we had a lot of rain and events that compacted that area.   

#3 Green

More seed germinating in fairway divots!

Time of year where we switch out the summer annuals for
winter annuals. 

             

                              

The value of opening up the greens surface

Yes, like the title reads there is a tremendous value opening the surface of the green. This promotes air and gas exchange along with water infiltration. Our greens are USGA greens that are designed to accept water and then let it go through drainage. As for a push-up green which is composed mostly of native soils, this is designed to shed water much like the turtle back greens you see at Pinehurst #2. In order to keep up with the physical properties of the sand we need to do routine aerifications such as pull a core to replace with clean fresh sand. This removes the organic material that can hold water at the surface creating many problems and soft playing conditions. After we do those things we need to regularly open them up through non aggressive techniques during the playing season and not interfere with the enjoyment of the game. One example that we like to do is the use of a needle tine that is less than the thickness of a pencil, approximately .200 of an inch. Although small, this is a great tool, to continue the drainage characteristics of our USGA greens.  So where am I going with all of this? We have a tool that can quantify our results to show you the benefits of doing this practice and its called an infiltrometer. This tool allows us to measure in inches per hour how fast the greens will drain. We took a measurement and received a whopping 9 inches per hour before we used the needle tines on the greens. The next day after the needle tine, we came back to the similar location and took another reading. Our results were 24 inches per hour and we almost tripled our infiltration rate by doing this practice. So you can see the benefits are great and will help our greens make the grade!

Needle tine in action

The infiltrometer we used

Fill both rings with water and then we start the timer