Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - 19

The Minikahda Club
says conditions in the fall are " comparable
to the rest of the season, if not
better.
It's the weather that makes fall
golfing so enjoyable. "
Punching the Greens
The great September-October conditions
don't come without a lot of hard work,
however. The lush fairways and smooth,
speedy greens are the result of many carefully
weighed decisions about how to
deploy a course's labor force during the
summer months, and there is no more
important decision than when or whether
to aerify the greens.
Even if golfers reluctantly accept the
necessity of injecting oxygen into the compacted
turf so the roots of the grass plants
remain deep and healthy, they've all had
the thought: Why did the super have to
punch holes in the greens just when they're
at the peak of perfection?
" Everyone hears that comment, "
Diegnau says. " It's how you look at it: Pay
me now or pay me later. It's something we
have to do. I can tell you even people that
play every day or every other day can be
the ones making those comments. "
" You get a mix of reactions, " says
superintendent
James Bezanson,
head
at Highland National Golf Course in St.
Paul. " A lot of people here appreciate what
we have to do to make Highland look as
good as it does, but others see it looking
Keller Golf Club
mngolf.org
Fall 2022 MINNESOTAGOLFER
19
great and don't appreciate the disruption.
You're always going to have some people
complain. The biggest thing is expectations.
As a golfer, I'm frustrated when I go
to a course expecting great conditions and
it was just aerified the day before. You've
just got to set the expectations upfront and
make sure the customers are aware. "
Courses used to aerify in September or
even early October, and some still do, but
a more recent trend is to punch the greens
in August when the growing season is at its
peak and the greens can heal more quickly.
" Our greens are in best condition during
the third week of August when we aerify, "
says Bezanson. " I alternate-one year punch
a solid tine, next year pull a core. It heals
quicker when you do a solid tine. People
are amazed at how quick it heals. "
" Back in the day, it [aerification] was
always Labor Day and beyond, "
says
Diegnau. " The issue was if you could get
them to heal up in time before winter. Now
the trend seems to be August. We started
doing that five years ago. The advantage
was quick recovery; the disadvantage could
be weather. If it's really hot, you can cause
some damage and setback on the greens.
The recovery time is 10 days versus two
weeks or more. It's so weather dependent.
The later you get, the longer it takes, and
then you risk that you haven't recovered
going into winter. "
And yet, pulling nickel-sized plugs from
PHOTOS: PETER WONG, W. P. RYAN

Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022

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Contents
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - Cover1
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - Cover2
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - Contents
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - 2
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - 3
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - 4
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2022 - 5
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