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Golf Course Greens Aeration Begins

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The Golf Maintenance Department will aerate greens on all the bent grass golf courses this month.

“By core aerating greens, water and air movement are allowed throughout the greens profile. Aerating the greens will promote the overall health of the courses’ turf”, Golf Course Maintenance Manager Keith Ihms said. “Aeration also works toward removing thatch and building stronger root systems”.

The main purpose of pulling cores is to manage the thatch layer on the greens; thatch layer is mostly made up of dying and un-decomposed leaf and grass material. “By pulling cores we are removing some of that material and preventing it from building up to an unacceptable level”, he said.

Thatch causes the greens to become soft and spongy, which can make for poor putting conditions. When thatch gets to this point it also can become a problem dealing with the other issues it causes, such as fungus growth, mower scalping and “localized dry spots,” which will not absorb and retain moisture.

“Aerating creates openings in the surface for water and nutrients to be absorbed, as well as the sand that will be used to smooth the putting surface and fill in voids and amend the green profile”, Ihms said.

A second sand topdressing will be necessary a week or so after aeration to help fill in aeration holes and smooth the surface.

Weather permitting, aeration and maintenance dates and locations will be:

  • Sept. 11 – Kingswood Golf Course will be closed for aeration.
  • Sept. 12 – Kingswood Golf Course will be closed until 11 a.m. for maintenance.
  • Sept. 12 – Berksdale Golf Course will be closed for aeration.
  • Sept. 13 – Berksdale Golf Course will be closed until 11 a.m. for maintenance.
  • Sept. 13 – Highlands Golf Course will be closed for aeration.
  • Sept. 14 – Highlands Golf Course will be closed until 11 a.m. for maintenance.
  • Sept. 25 – Dogwood Golf Course will be closed for aeration.
  • Sept. 26 – Dogwood Golf Course will be closed until 11 a.m. for maintenance.
  • Sept. 26 – Bella Vista Country Club Golf Course will be closed for aeration.
  • Sept. 27 – Bella Vista Country Club Golf Course will be closed until 11 a.m. for maintenance.

Monarchs at Berksdale

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Monarch butterflies are “the King” of their winged world and a flagship species for overall prairie health.  Sadly, a 90% decline in the Eastern overwintering population was recorded between 1995 and 2014. While several factors may be contributing, the wide scale eradication of the “weeds” essential to the monarch lifecycle has been devastating.  Adult monarchs may feed on a wide variety of nectar sources, but their caterpillar stage ONLY feeds on milkweed (Asclepias) species.

Berksdale Superintendent Reed Holly has been seeding milkweed and other native prairie plants for several years.  Assistant Superintendent Wendy Barnes has been identifying and protecting increased areas of wildlife habitat in conjunction with her Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program efforts.  Two years ago, a single adult and a single larva monarch were noted.  This summer, patches of milkweed became well established and numerous adult butterflies have been spotted.  This September, we are pleased to announce a veritable explosion of monarch caterpillars at various locations around Berksdale.

For more information, you may visit www.monarch-butterfly.com, www.fws.gov/savethemonarch/, or contact moc.a1686346379opvvb1686346379@bydn1686346379ew1686346379.

(Article contributed by Berksdale Assistant, Wendy Barnes)