Today is one of our Monday MM's (maintenance mornings) that provides us a few hours head start on the golfers to complete some crucial maintenance tasks. Like frost delays, we are well aware that MM's are not popular with some members, but they allow us to provide the best possible playing conditions to our members and guests. Some of these MM tasks include: verti-cutting, control product applications, fertilizer applications, overseeding, aerating, topdressing or even just catching up on some routine mowing.
Today we are verticutting the greens. Verti-cutting thins out the turf canopy by using a series of vertically mounted rotating knives to cut grass plants that are laying on their side (horizontally) making them difficult to cut with our reel mowers. Verti-cutting is a method of removing thatch and when followed by topdressing applications, it produces a smoother putting surface and improved ball roll. This is a labour intensive process that is not possible to complete during play without closing greens. Noise bylaws prevent us from completing these tasks during the early morning hours. Delaying golfers until 11am this morning will afford us enough of a head start to stay ahead of play and finish the task in an efficient manner.
Here is a photo of turf immediately after verti-cutting, before the cleanup process:
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| thatch and clippings remain on the surface to be picked up by mowers |
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