Following vigorous debate on the Pitchcare website, about the relative merits of deep aeration on golf greens, we investigate how successful the process has been and get the views of leading agronomists
Heath Robinson or Hard Facts?
YOU could be forgiven for walking straight past a Terrain Aeration stand at an exhibition without a second glance. It would be easy to pass off the company’s collection of ‘Heath Robinson’ machines as nothing more than ‘scrap value.’ It’s also probably true to say that proprietor, David Green, was a huge Meccano fan as a lad. He has now taken this enthusiasm into the world of deep aeration. But does it work? Well, following some vigorous debate on the website message board, we thought we’d investigate further. Terrain Aeration are specialists in deep aeration. It is a niche market that they have carved out for themselves with hard work and not a little enthusiasm. Anyone who has spoken to David’s wife Linda will know exactly what we mean! It is a process that very few other aeration specialist would touch with the proverbial barge pole! Certainly they are in no danger of being bought out by Redexim, Toro and the like. Their machines are almost as rare as hens teeth and it takes a considerable amount of David’s Meccano skills to keep them running efficiently. So as you, the Pitchcare members, have asked the questions, here are the answers.
Meccano indeed!
SINCE this time last year Terrain Aeration has been called to several of our older golf courses to perform one metre deep, compressed air de- compaction treatment on the greens. In some cases the company was hired on the recommendation of the club's
Turf Consultant, and in others at the request of the Greenkeeper. Following
the two case histories below a selection of the industry’s Turf Consultants tell us if, and under what circumstances, they would advocate this particular form of aeration on traditional golf greens.
OXLEY PARK GOLF COURSE Built 1913. Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Terrain Aeration hired for three days work in October 2005. Machine used: Airforce Terralift Air pressure: consistent 15 Bar. Coverage: 2 metre spacings on a staggered grid pattern
Oxley Park in Wolverhampton has 18 soil-based greens of sandy loam with a clay base and built in the traditional ‘push-up’ manner. “We’ve no drainage in the profile of the greens,” says Paul Jeffries who is in his tenth year as Head Greenkeeper at the club. “Although we’d verti-drained and spiked to various depths we still had surface water on some of them and both I and the turf consultant felt that the problem was further down. I’ve known our consultant for years and we both view this treatment as the start of a continuing programme to improve the drainage within the greens. We’re going to monitor them to determine which ones require piped drainage and gravel banding in the future.” As Oxley Park’s greens are not overly huge, Terrain Aeration treated them all, as well as the hard, walk-off areas. “We’ve had quite a bit of rain and although they’re not as dry as you would expect in the middle of summer they have certainly improved and I’d say that the treatment has helped” Paul reports. “You have to have a balance of air and water within the greens. When TA left the surface was pretty good. We had vibrating rollers on loan so I went
continued over
asked!
Well you
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