Slow to Grow

As most members are aware, with the golf course being closed for the month of April, we shifted greens aerification from early May to the end of March.  The thinking was that when the course reopened, you wouldn't be inconvenienced by the typical May aerifying.

The greens are in decent shape now, however it was a true challenge getting them to fill in from our unusually early aerification.  The grass really isn't growing quickly at the end of March in any year, and with daytime temperatures for the entire month of April close to four degrees below average, things were even slower.  On the low end of temps, April gave us 13 nights in the 30s, and two nights dipping back into the 20s.

Like the greens, the aerified approaches are slow to heal.

The other factor against us with this timing for aerification is that it coincided with our plant growth regulator applications on the greens, intended to reduce Poa seedhead production.  So, yes, high doses of growth regulators plus cold temperatures, not surprisingly, equals very slow growth.

In hindsight, the concept worked, and it was much better to get this process over with while closed, instead of punching the greens during the first week we reopened.  However, the experience also reconfirmed why (in any other year) our typical May aerification timing is best for a quick recovery.