Aeration of Greens

Aeration of Greens
Video sent by desertnut

Today at our golf course, the back nine went through the aeration process. To get a full 18 holes of golf in, everyone played holes 1 through 9 twice.

The aerification of the greens occurs once or twice a year at most golf courses. To aerify, a piece of machinery cores the ground (punches holes and removes the dirt) in a certain pattern. The greens are then covered with sand and raked to fill the holes. This is done to loosen soil that has been compacted by golfers walking over it, opening up growing room for the grass roots and increasing oxygen to the roots. It usually takes 10 to 14 days for the holes to fill in and grow over.

The above video shows hole number 12 in the final steps of aeration.