Perspective on the History of Turf Cultivation

Cultivation in managed turf systems, and in particular golf turf culture, refers to mechanical methods of selective tillage to modify physical and possibly other characteristics of turf. The earliest common cultivation practice was called “forking”, which used knives or a pitchfork. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the first commercial production and distribution of cultivation equipment was the West Point Aerifer and the Verticutter. These early innovations not only were of value in helping turf managers manage soil compaction and thatch, they led the way to the development of a sophisticated array of equipment and practices that are employed today for improving and sustaining turf quality. Recently developed cultivation methods include water-, sand-, gravel-, and air-injection systems. Regardless of cultivation method or equipment, the goal is to achieve soil root-zone and thatch modification with the least possible surface disruption.