In order to demonstrate the recovery time for our planned quad tine of the South Course greens, we did a trial run twelve days early on one of the greens at the practice facility. The reason for quad tining at this time of year is to help with organic matter reduction, as well as let the soil “breath”. This returns oxygen that has been depleted as a result of a combination of aggressive rolling, which seals the surface over time, accompanied by excessive rainfall over the same time period. During this process cores are pulled, however they are very small. The actual holes created are .3 inches in diameter, which is a tenth of an inch wider than our typical needle tines that have a diameter of .2 inches. Below are pictures that show how the healing has progressed.
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- Here the green is in the process of being aerified. The cores will be removed and the green will be topdressed and rolled.
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- Here the cores have been removed and the green is ready to be topdressed and rolled.
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- In this picture the green has been topdressed, brushed, and rolled.
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- This is 3 days after being quad tined. Some of the holes are visible, but there is little disruption to ball roll.
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- This is the green 5 days after the quad tine.