aroundtheyard.com Forums

I have a question and maybe someone in here can give me an answer. We have bentgrass greens at our golf course here in NC (Bermuda would obviously be better but it is what it is) and our superintendent aerated and verticut them in April. Has anyone ever heard of verticutting bentgrass? I've only ever seen it in bermuda greens since they repair themselves a lot quicker than bent. Our greens have just now fully recovered about a week ago and yesterday he aerates them again. Why would you aerate greens 2 months apart? Typically with bermuda, you aerate late spring/early summer and that's it. Just seems like a lot of stress on grass that already doesn't tolerate heat well.

Seems bizarre that they have bent grass greens in NC.

Yeah, they're nice in early spring/late fall when bermuda is/going dormant but they're a pain in the heat of the summer.

Good read, thanks turf_toes.

I worked at a course as an assistant to the super (basically rode a mower all day. lol). Our course used to aerate and topdress at least 2 x per year on bent grass greens and verticut on an as needed basis. The reason we verticut so frequently was we regularly rolled the greens which made for better putting surfaces, but also increased speed. It also increases compaction quite a bit. Verticutting was always the preferred maintenance used to reduce thatch, improve the quality of the cut and to help limit the compaction. Even so, the turf still needed regular aeration at 2 x per season to really soften thing up and promote new growth.

I feel like compaction isn't an issue with us, but I'm not a golf course expert by any means. As hot as our summers get, we're constantly having to water them to keep them alive which makes them extremely soft and receptive. I could see the need for multiple aerations if the greens were firm.

Most higher end courses roll the greens regularly to smooth them and make them faster. That really causes compaction (on top of the obvious foot traffic) Verticutting allows them to cut down (usually 1/16' to 1/8") and kept the grass much healthier. Greens are relatively fragile and can be temperamental. Compaction and airflow are key to preventing the grass from getting disease or worse, root degradation from rot. Rarely happens, but when it does, it isn't pretty.

turf_toes wrote: ↑

June 30th, 2020, 8:44 am

Seems bizarre that they have bent grass greens in NC.

Unfortunately most courses down here still have bent greens. My club renovated all 18 greens in 2018 to Bermuda. What a difference, they can keep low and fast all summer.