This summer process takes place this time of year while the zoysia is in its peak growing season, which allows for the best recovery. During this time, we start by aerifying tees, fairways and approaches to the green. These areas are core aerified, pulling a 5/8” plug from the soil that leaves a hole that we will later fill with a sand and compost mix. As seen by the illustration, this practice alleviates the compacted area from golfer and cart traffic, allows for oxygen and nutrients to enter the root zone, and promotes root growth and density that help the plant survive the stress we place on it. Following the aerification, we will topdress all of these areas with sand. The sand mixture is porous enough to allow for more nutrient and oxygen movement into the soil and allows for the rhizomes and roots to grow through the soil with ease.  

Following the aerification process, we begin the de-thatching process, which involves “verticutting” or vertical mowing where vertical blades slice through the thatch layer of the turf. The verticutting does not go into the soil like aerification, rather, the first inch into the grass canopy. What we are doing is removing as much of the “spongy” feeling under the ball as it sits on the turf. Following behind with a layer of sand helps fill the de-thatched areas resulting in a very smooth surface and a slightly firmer surface for the golf ball to bounce and roll down the fairways. The smooth roll and firmer surface are our main goals in the verticutting process. Where aerification’s main benefits are turf health, verticutting and sanding accomplish the surface performance goals we have.

Our cultural practice time is always seen as an annoyance to golfers as the benefits are both cumulative and delayed; cumulative, as the more we accomplish this practice, the better our surfaces perform each year. The benefits are also delayed as it takes time for turf to recover from this process. Patience is always our mindset as we know what we accomplish this year in our cultural practices will always make the next year better.  

The course has had an amazing growing season this summer as we were blessed with the spring and summer rains. The turf has recovered amazingly from our unprecedented drought the previous two summers as the course is thriving and healthy as we move closer to fall, and will most certainly result in amazing conditions next spring.

We thank you as always for your patience during this time and your appreciation of the work that is involved. 

See you on the course! 

Stu Rowland is the Director of Agronomy at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at srowland@cordilleraranch.com and 760.275.9459.