Aeration Timing and the Use of Black Topdressing Sand to Enhance Putting Green Recovery.

The intermountain Pacific Northwest has a relatively short growing season and, consequently, a short period for ideal golfing conditions. In order to cope with these issues, golf course superintendents are continually pushing aeration of putting greens to the extreme ends of the growing season to minimize disruption to play. The objectives of this study are to: 1) determine the time of year that results in the quickest recovery time from aeration; 2) determine if the use of black topdressing sand can enhance recovery. This study was conducted on a USGA ‘T-1’ creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) research green at Pullman, WA. Aeration treatments were applied every two weeks beginning 15 Apr. 2008 and continuing until 1 Nov. 2008, with no aeration treatments on 15 July and 1 August. Standard tan or black topdressing sand, with comparable sieve size, was applied after aeration and brushed into aeration holes. Data collected included days to recovery, turfgrass quality, and soil temperature.  The least time to recovery occurred with the black topdressing sand on 15 August. Black sand reduced days to recovery after the 15 September aeration. Also, topdressing with black sand resulted in greater turfgrass quality before the 1 June aeration and after the 15 August aeration compared to the standard tan topdressing sand.  No difference was detected in soil temperature at the 7.5-cm depth between sand types. The data suggest that the use of black topdressing sand in the spring and fall will improve turfgrass quality. Additionally, time to recovery for fall aeration can be reduced by the use of black topdressing sand. This study will be repeated in 2009.