Aerated greens

[BNich0622]

[quote name='wetdogsmell' timestamp='1366329965' post='6874717']
There IS something worse than that.... It is once again snowing here in MN! I'd take sand greens at this point.
[/quote]

You should probably consider moving.

[scotto69]

Golfnow usually indicates if the greens have been aerated.

The worse thing to me is trying to putt off the fringe if it has sand on it...ruined a scotty cameron putter that way.

[larrybud]

[quote name='nfinch10' timestamp='1366404756' post='6879859']
I've played a few courses in the Bay Area that will only punch half the green at a time, and then put the pin on the unpunched side. I'm undecided on whether it helps or of it's just a way for these courses to continue charging full rate/not have people as many people complain when they aerate. On the flip side, I've been geting emails from a different course offering a voucher for a free round at another time if you book a tee time right after they aerate this weekend.
[/quote]

A top rated course in my area does it and I think it's a fantastic idea. Aeration hole don't have the same effect when the ball is moving fast, but once it slows down, it can bounce all over the place.

The other things courses need to do is wait for aeration when the grass is actually growing quickly. My home course aerates the day after labor day, and in 5 days you wouldn't even know it. Other courses wait until mid to late October, and you can still see the punch marks in April.

[mjmihal]

Problem solved: http://www.greenskeeper.org/main.cfm

[gustoteg]

I played in a tournament a few weeks ago where on the first tee they informed us that the course had aerated the greens the day before.... It wasn't even a scramble tour ey either, a legit amateur stroke play tournament.... Everyone was furious.... Nearly impossible to roll the ball on your intended line...

[CassinoNorth]

Been dealing with sand greens for the last 3 weeks in Jersey and it's killing me. But knowing there's greener pastures (greens) on the horizon makes me smile. Rolling 36+ putt rounds while still scoring under 90 makes me hopeful this might be my best year ever.

[TJCDAS]

[quote name='scotto69' timestamp='1366564740' post='6888011']
Golfnow usually indicates if the greens have been aerated.

The worse thing to me is trying to putt off the fringe if it has sand on it...ruined a scotty cameron putter that way.
[/quote]

How could you possibly ruin a putter because of some sand on the fringe?

Ruin--[color=#000000][size=3]To destroy completely; demolish.[/size][/color]

[Sean2]

I won't play on greens that have been recently aerated. It won't ruin my putter, but the sand can cause scratches that annoy the heck out of me. When I call a golf course I always ask if the greens have been recently aerated. As others experienced, I played a very nice course once and both greens and fairways were aerated. Of course, no said anything.

[swbyps]

[quote name='mjmihal' timestamp='1366861792' post='6913191']
Problem solved: http://www.greenskeeper.org/main.cfm
[/quote]

LOL...I just looked up my course and I know for a fact that the greens have been recently aerated and its showing green for "no maintenance". This is a pretty cool site though.

[Scottcon]

Not always a bad thing, played the Grand Bear (Jack Nicklaus designed course) near Biloxi last summer at half price after aeration. Wouldn't normally play there at over $100 green fees (and don't spend enough time in the casinos to get comped there).

Had only been playing a couple months at that time so the greens probably didn't hurt my score that much. Only problem was I think I lost enough balls to make up for the $50 I saved hehe.

[Joe85]

The "greens" I played yesterday were some of the worst ever. The first few even had sand on them. This is starting to go on all around the Metro now but what choice do we have?

Could be snow on the ground in a month they said on the news the other day.

[596]

Ah yes, aeration. We aerate a number of times per year. The amount of times depends on the type of greens grass, what the soil is underneath and your location. We've aerated early spring,June, July and August, for at least 4 times this year, maybe more as the year is not over yet. We are currently rebuilding 9 of the 27 holes and will open the rebuilt 9 holes in 6 weeks. We'll be aerating the new greens this coming week and they were just built (May) and sprigged (mid June) and not even open yet. We are currently just maintaining the rebuilt greens, tees, bunkers and fairways getting ready to open them Nov 1.

When we aerate we have signs at least 1-2 weeks in advance sitting on the counter in the ProShop. If you check the calendar on the wall behind the counter you can see all tournament days, aeration dates. etc for the next 2 months. We do 9 holes at a time, closing the 9 the day of aeration. We aerate, blow the plugs away, sand and then brush the sand into the holes. The greens are very playable within a day or 2. Everyone knows when aeration will occur and the Pro Shop does not offer discounts. Our rates are already inexpensive.

Aeration allows the water/chemicals to penetrate into the soil and also allows the grass roots to go deeper into the soil. It is a necessary thing for the health of the grass. It makes a huge difference in the health of the grass, which in turn assists in the grass recovery when plugging yesterdays holes as well as ball/spike marks, etc.

[shanksfornuthin]

I don't like aeration but its part of the maintenance process and makes things better overall. So putting is a little off that week - oh, well, I still get to play and its still golf. I'm also not sure it affects my putting too much. My expectations are lowered and I relax more on the greens. Occasionally a putt is truly knocked off line by a pebble, but I can still tell when I'm playing and putting well.

[fore]

On aerated greens I feel it's as likely that a bad putt will go in as a good putt miss.

The really bothersome thing is having a chip land on a hole and bounce weird.

Between the holes and the sand gathering on the ball I generally won't care how I score on freshly aerated greens.

[jewofgolf]

I have played some courses with very small holes and filled with sand and those weren't bad. I wonder why that version isn't more common.

[teckneeklyperfect]

two putt golf , welcome to September

I think they ought to put in 6 inch cups on sanded greens…. played a course that did that once …

[moose557]

Just ask when making tee times aND if they have been punched just move on to another course.

[golfdad907]

I believe when aerated, they play the same for everyone on the course. At least you have a built-in excuse for not shooting career low when they're aerated.

[dukeman]

Two points....

1. Every American golf course worth playing aerates greens at least once during the year. On top of that, many top dress with sand periodically. I know it. You know it. Courses know it. We all know it. It's perfectly common knowledge. If you show up at the course and you're "surprised" by the aerated greens, you're an idiot. All you had to do was call and ask before you booked the time.

2. Get over yourselves. Once you get past four or five feet, golfers miss the vast majority of their putts. By the time you get outside 10 feet, we make hardly any...even on perfect greens. Your ball is already on the wrong line or the wrong speed the instant it leaves the putter face and before it has touched even a grain of sand. If you're on tour you probably do a little better. If you have a handicap, however, the sand just provides a scapegoat for a putt that you weren't going to make anyway. Painful but true.

[596]

[quote name='jewofgolf' timestamp='1411220147' post='10152443']
I have played some courses with very small holes and filled with sand and those weren't bad. I wonder why that version isn't more common.
[/quote]

Those are 2 different processes. Aerating removes an actual plug leaving the hole to fill with sand. The other are spikes that poke a small hole and do not remove a plug. I'm not technical enough to know the technical difference in the reason they are different. We do both numerous times per year on our greens. When we poke the holes most people don't even notice that we did anything. They are not the same thing as far as purpose and result.

[596]

[quote name='dukeman' timestamp='1411241078' post='10153577']
Two points....

1. Every American golf course worth playing aerates greens at least once during the year. On top of that, many top dress with sand periodically. I know it. You know it. Courses know it. We all know it. It's perfectly common knowledge. If you show up at the course and you're "surprised" by the aerated greens, you're an idiot. All you had to do was call and ask before you booked the time.

2. Get over yourselves. Once you get past four or five feet, golfers miss the vast majority of their putts. By the time you get outside 10 feet, we make hardly any...even on perfect greens. Your ball is already on the wrong line or the wrong speed the instant it leaves the putter face and before it has touched even a grain of sand. If you're on tour you probably do a little better. If you have a handicap, however, the sand just provides a scapegoat for a putt that you weren't going to make anyway. Painful but true.
[/quote]

And when it goes in, it probably wasn't, until it hit the sand and deflected it into the hole, otherwise it was going to miss. Remember, the sand can help as much as it hurts.

[Joe85]

[quote name='fore' timestamp='1411219417' post='10152401'] On aerated greens I feel it's as likely that a bad putt will go in as a good putt miss. [/quote]

Pretty much this.

[quote name='dukeman' timestamp='1411241078' post='10153577'] Two points.... 1. Every American golf course worth playing aerates greens at least once during the year. On top of that, many top dress with sand periodically. I know it. You know it. Courses know it. We all know it. It's perfectly common knowledge. If you show up at the course and you're "surprised" by the aerated greens, you're an idiot. All you had to do was call and ask before you booked the time. 2. Get over yourselves. Once you get past four or five feet, golfers miss the vast majority of their putts. By the time you get outside 10 feet, we make hardly any...even on perfect greens. Your ball is already on the wrong line or the wrong speed the instant it leaves the putter face and before it has touched even a grain of sand. If you're on tour you probably do a little better. If you have a handicap, however, the sand just provides a scapegoat for a putt that you weren't going to make anyway. Painful but true. [/quote]

At the very least I would like to know what I'm getting before I purchase. It doesn't help when the course is a half hour away and you don't know what you're getting. Why shouldn't we know if the greens are unplayable?

This pompous attitude is part of the reason people are being driven away from the game in my opinion.

[dukeman]

[quote name='Joe85' timestamp='1411254868' post='10154327']
[quote name='fore' timestamp='1411219417' post='10152401'] On aerated greens I feel it's as likely that a bad putt will go in as a good putt miss. [/quote]

Pretty much this.

[quote name='dukeman' timestamp='1411241078' post='10153577'] Two points.... 1. Every American golf course worth playing aerates greens at least once during the year. On top of that, many top dress with sand periodically. I know it. You know it. Courses know it. We all know it. It's perfectly common knowledge. If you show up at the course and you're "surprised" by the aerated greens, you're an idiot. All you had to do was call and ask before you booked the time. 2. Get over yourselves. Once you get past four or five feet, golfers miss the vast majority of their putts. By the time you get outside 10 feet, we make hardly any...even on perfect greens. Your ball is already on the wrong line or the wrong speed the instant it leaves the putter face and before it has touched even a grain of sand. If you're on tour you probably do a little better. If you have a handicap, however, the sand just provides a scapegoat for a putt that you weren't going to make anyway. Painful but true. [/quote]

Sort of a pompous post. At the very least I would like to know what I'm getting before I purchase. It doesn't help when the course is a half hour away and you don't know what you're getting. Why shouldn't we know if the greens are unplayable?

This pompous attitude is part of the reason people are being driven away from the game in my opinion.
[/quote]

Hello....I'd like to make a tee time, but before I do I'd like to know when the greens were last aerated. Last week? Thank you, sir. I'll try again in a couple of weeks. Click.

That should help you.

[shanksfornuthin]

Of course, you could always play like Ben Hogan did during some of his practice rounds. Once on the green, pick up and move to the next hole. Putting is a different game anyway and a non-aerated green doesn't mean that 25 footer will go in.

[LittleLeftToRight]

I think there is a world of difference as well whether or not the aeration is done right. The course that I practice at must have a great greens keeper. The greens are normally kept knee knockingly fast (12ish I think) but always roll true. Even where they are aerated and filled, they still roll well, probably better than most regular greens.

I played a course a while back that is supposed to be one of the best in the state (77.6/153), lauded in Golf Digest, designed by Nicklaus, etc. and the greens had obviously been aerated at least a [i]couple weeks[/i] before I played it. They rolled like crap. I didn't make a single birdie the whole day and I had 2 three whacks (rare for me). I even pulled back an 8 footer on the 16th [i]4 times[/i] because I was so frustrated, and missed it each time in a different spot. I think the longest putt I made the whole day was around 6 feet. It really made me aware of the difference a competent greens keeper can make.

I don't mind playing on aerated greens as long as I am [i]forewarned[/i]. It is necessary maintenance after all. Besides, any kind of golf on any kind of greens will always beat the alternative.

[tx_rican]

First world problems

[Joe85]

[quote name='shanksfornuthin' timestamp='1411255902' post='10154403']
Of course, you could always play like Ben Hogan did during some of his practice rounds. Once on the green, pick up and move to the next hole. Putting is a different game anyway and a non-aerated green doesn't mean that 25 footer will go in.
[/quote]

lol, kind of like this idea.

[etakmit]

Played Thursday at one of the nicest courses around. Called Monday for a tee time and they told me that the greens had been aerated. Thursday comes and fees are 10 bucks off. Dad and I had a great day and didn't worry about the greens.

Talking to the guys at the course this was the first time in nearly four years that they had aerated. The greens are always in good shape and they finally decided it was time to do it.

[MountainKing]

The only thing that bugs me is when the course fails to mention it when you make a time and then there's no discount to boot. I try to ask, but I feel the course should inform the customer that it's going on..

[jrich61820]

I feel your pain. In '09 I won our Club Championship and in doing so, represented our club in the local inter-club tournament of champions. The tournament was to be held at a very private local club that I had ALWAYS wanted to play, but alas was PRIVATE. I had heard how fast the greens were and how perfect they rolled. I was so excited to play! Tourney day arrived I hit my first tee shot, and approach to the green. Walked up to the first green to see that it was air-rated and top dressed...... I was more than a little disappointed.
To top things off, nothing was said to any of the players prior to teeing off.
Oh well ,the course was amazing, even if the greens where totally un-puttable.