Turf
19 MAY 2023
Superintendant update
It's already been a week since the opening of Le Maître, I hope you enjoyed getting back on your course and that you liked the spring conditions. La Bête is now open for the season, five days after its brother and we are quite excited to now have both courses open with all 18 holes in play.
Our turf management practices start now. Just because the courses are in good shape for the start of the season doesn't mean we have to sit back and watch. The greens aeration at La Bête will start on Tuesday May 23rd and on Wednesday May 24th, we will do 9 holes per morning. The beautiful growing season over the next few weeks will allow for a quick recovery and provide us optimal healthy greens to be able to handle play and the hot summer weather to come. Le Maître greens aeration will follow in June to always offer you one of your courses with greens without the inconvenience of aerated surfaces.
Soil aeration
Soil aeration is indirectly related to the speed of the greens because compacted soil depletes the root mass and unevenly affects the surface of the green. The specific equipment to be used for soil aeration depends on the intensity of traffic, soil texture, drainage, weather conditions, and tiller density.
Some golfers notice reduced speed following core aeration. We take great care to perform this work with our objective to minimize as much as possible its impact on the playing surface. Aeration is an unavoidable evil in maintaining healthy turf areas.
Aeration and the corresponding heavy topdress should be viewed as a short-term disturbance that has significant long-term benefits. When you see those little holes, remember that without them, the greens would not perform as well.
Roots need oxygen. Oxygen is exceedingly important to the roots and the plant because it helps produce food for the plant. In good soil, they get their oxygen from small pockets of air trapped between the sand and soil particles.
Over a short period of time, golfer traffic and maintenance equipment has a compacting effect on the soil. This has the result of eliminating the air spaces on which the roots depend. These roots are then starved for oxygen, and this can lead to plant decay.
Aeration is a mechanical process that creates air-filled spaces in the soil, allowing for deeper rooting; improving the ability of the grass roots to obtain oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide and other toxins that have accumulated in the soil.
Upcoming maintenance
- Aération des verts à La Bête
- Fertilization of greens, tees and fairways
- Treatment of weeds in tall grass
- Topdress on greens
Marc-André Doré, Course Superintendant