I don't know much about greenkeeping but have just been up for a round and discovered that the very nice, true rolling greens have been hollow tined for the 4th time since may - it's the middle of the golf season and I was wondering why this needs to be done so often? Is this a sign of problems on the way? Also the greens did not start growing properly until the end of May - as you may have guessed i'm a bit annoyed by the constant ruining of the putting surface. I left my previous club because of substandard greens - annoyingly played there on tuesday night - perfect!

our greens are hollow tinned once a year and not in the middle of summer! this seems pretty odd to me, i wouldnt be too happy about it either!

A bit annoyed is an understatement - they then compound this problem by sanding the whole lot!

Yeah they always sand them when they hollow tine, that is part of the process. So irritating though, especially if you have a nice putter!

Guess the slighter thats on the way will have to be rested at these times then!
Anyone know why this process of hollow tining may be necarsary in summer? I expect it in winter as Kyle has said but the summer? - Please!! I would like to know if this could mean that the greens staff are worried about the greens. The course held the county scratch championship in may - too be honest it was a little embarrasing that the greens weren't even growing!!

if they are taking a core out and sanding the greens after it is a good thing but not 4 times since may twice a year is what a majority of course do. i couldnt tell you why the hell they would do it so much. do you know what type your greens are, and are they new or old. if they are just trying to open up the greens for water and air they should be slicing them or using a solid tine so there is no disruption in play. and also are you in a hot part of the country right now or some what cold.

Where do you live? If it were me, I'd probably just ask why it's been done each month for the last four months.

It seems expensive and unnecessary -- are they doing anything else?

I live in the north west of England, Cumbria - it's not really hot nor is it really wet. We had 2 weeks of very hot weather (for us anyway!) end of june but thats it - there appears to be no other work underway on the rest of the course, a quick straw poll has established that we are the only course in the area doing this!! The greens have been down for about 18 years I think (joined 3 years ago when they were spectacularly good).

Thanks for your time and replies this is really useful!

Do you think any super would do something like this if it wasn't necessary? Doing it just for fun or to pass the time? Maybe they are doing it just to p*ss you off? Maybe you could ask him? Have you ever met your super?

What I'm saying is your super probably knows more about the turf than you do and the fact that they are paying that much attention to your greens is probably an indication that they are interested in the heath and future conditions of the course. No one likes playing on punched greens, but you have to look at the big picture.

tjy355 - well i'm pleased that you describe yourself as a curmudgeon!! What is the point of that post - i have at no point said it is to specifically annoy me - it is just annoying, maybe you have so much money that the large chunk you pay out for a membership can be forgotten for the reason that the "super" is your best mate - although if this is your tone he must be a very understanding person!
I have merely asked a question as to why this may happen - and i doubt if there are serious worries over the future of the greens that the club would let on this early for fear of losing members to the surrounding clubs.
Thanks to everyone else and tjy don't waste your time writing drivel like that.

Point is, your at a club and if you're so concerned about the quality of the greens why don't you ask the super yourself? No one here can possibly guess as to why he is doing what he is doing when they don't know all the facts/details of the condition of the greens.

Because i am no expert i thought i'd ask a simple question hoping for helpful and simple answers from this 'friendly' forum.
I spoke to the green keeper (super) earlier today - understandably he wasn't at work at 10.20 last night when this was posted - i was looking for possible ideas as to why this would happen and at the frequency it has been done at other courses to discover if we were being hard done to or if this was normal practice and my previous club didn't do it enough - for those not wishing to get 'one up' on a novice member it turns out that other club members complained earlier in the year about our greens not being good enough early enough therefore this is a possible solution to better greens next year.
To run the risk of more 'clever' answers - why would this be the case - does it help the root growth?

Know one at your club understands the greens better than the Golf Course Superintendent. Needle tines are used for dozens of reasons at all different times of year. it is impossibe for anyone to speculate on their current usage. The proper way to voice your concerns is to ask your greens committee chairman, who can then obtain the correct answer and pass that info on to the rest of the membership.

They are grassy and have some small holes in - guess i have to cope.
Thankyou

I apologize for my curmudgeonly post. My point was only that they must be doing it for good reason.

You can see that the super has a difficult job to do, walking a fine line of trying to keep the course maintained and avoiding the members bitching about conditions. It seems the members at your club complained about the greens and now complain when he takes steps to improve the situation. This is a job I would not want to have.

In any case, it is good that you are trying to understand the process. Aerification is a necessary evil to have healthy greens. As the name implies, aerification helps break up the soil compaction and introduce organic matter below the surface so as to encourage healthier root system. Heathly roots means healthy leaves which means a better putting surface than can be maintained firmer & faster and is less susceptible to disease.

Sounds like your super is working to make your greens BETTER.

thanks tjy - pleased to see a bit of banter can be accepted!
I believe the aim is to make the greens better as well, i was just wondering how and why that was all. To be honest i too believe the 'super' is in a no win situation that i do not envy - this is why if possible i wanted to ascertain what may be wrong this way rather than challenging him, nobody likes being questioned as to whether they are doing their job properly - which this would amount to.
I realize now that without detailed info regarding the state of the greens this may be unanswerable - i was hoping for members of the forum who had some similar experiences to pitch up and add their thoughts.
Thanks everyone.

The problem with this situation is all in communication. As many have stated above there must be a good reason for the work being done. Aerification is necessary but more than twice a year is excessive unless there is a serious problem, which there must be because it is a lot of work and labor =$$$ plus takes time away from other areas on the course. One of the best things a club can have is a newsletter where the super can explain the the membership what is going on and why these steps are required, or at least post a letter the the locker rooms. This would eliminate all the speculation.

thanks john - this update sounds a good idea - i shall put it forward at the next committee meeting!! As you say it would end a lot of speculation and subversive thinking!

This is quite true, communication is key. Many clubs have a greens committee that acts as the interface between the superintendent and the membership. Members can take their concerns to the committee and not the super directly. I'm sure it would get old for a super to have to answer the same questions over and over with every member.

News letters produced and apologies to members issued!! A recent visit from an agronomist (spelling??) has led the greens staff to do the work to reduce the thatch levels for next year whilst the weather in this country is 'perfect' for the grass to recover and grow properly. Half the greens have been top dressed now and are playing a lot better. Hopefully next year (and the rest of this year) will see the greens rolling very nicely.
Thanks,
Merlin.

It's ALL GOOD!!

Check out this other thread...
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=282863