For many, this winter’s aeration programme has been significantly interrupted.
Contractor Dave Gibson, director at Fairways Sportsground, said: “Our work is principally in Scotland and north England… lots of new builds, but refurbishments and maintenance are still a big part of our day to day. Trying to get aeration done for clients has been stop start for the last six months. You set aside a couple of days for a Council’s pitches or a golf club’s fairways. You want the conditions to be right. You keep a close eye on the weather. All too often you are three hours in … then conditions change dramatically, and you have to come off… it must be among the most frustrating seasons in a long time.
“We operate with both a Wiedenmann Terra Spike XD and a GXi8 HD, so its fortunate they are easy to set up and particularly quick over the ground. Look at either of the machines and you see their whole action is gentle and smooth. The tine action treats the ground with respect so it’s about precise clean holes.
“When you have a fast machine the decision to ‘go’ is made easier. It’s also a huge advantage when you must go back and finish off a job.”
Across the Irish Sea to Adare, County Limerick, Brian Dunne, Course Superintendent at Adare Manor Old Course said:
“It’s been brutal with so much wet ground. We have our own Terra Spike XP which makes such a difference. We try to do our fairways twice a year. We pick when the conditions are right and do two or three at a time. We’ve got twelve acres in total, as well as walkways and tee boxes, so it takes us around a week and a half normally to do all the split sessions. This time we had to be so careful and wait for the ground to be sufficiently dry.
“Fortunately, we got a window in late January to use 20 mm diameter tines down to 250 mm. In some choice places known to hold water, we went a little deeper, so around 300 mm and we might revisit these more frequently. Had we not had that slightly drier spell, we would probably still be waiting.”
