Infiltration Rates of Golf Course Putting Greens Following Various Cultivation Types.

Soil compaction and organic matter accumulation are major problems for putting greens management which reduce infiltration rates, inhibit rooting, and affect playability. Cultural practices including core aerification are commonly used to alleviate these soil physical conditions. However, conventional aerification is disruptive to the playing surface and results in temporary loss of revenue. Periodically, new aerification technologies emerge and offer a less invasive approach to managing soil physical conditions of putting greens. These technologies should be evaluated through scientific research to verify their efficacy and develop best management practices. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of Air2G2, DryJect, and conventional aerification on soil physical properties of golf putting greens over time. The study was conducted on five different golf courses in the central Oklahoma area. Aerification events occurred in spring 2017 and included single applications of DryJect at three golf courses, Air2G2 in one golf course, and conventional aerification at one golf course. Two putting greens were evaluated at each golf course and three sub-samples were taken per green. Measurements were conducted prior to a cultivation practices and subsequently at 3 days, 1 week and 4 weeks after the event. The parameters evaluated included infiltration rate using a double-ring infiltrometer, volumetric water content of the upper 12 cm, sand particle size distribution, ball roll distance, and surface firmness. These data will be used as case studies for development of a designed experiment at the OAES Turfgrass Research Center in Stillwater, OK.