Which aeration machine is best for my golf course?

By Alistair March 24, 2021 07:54 Updated

Here are three machines designed to help with your aeration needs.

If a wet spring is on the cards, Redexim suggests that linear aeration with the Verti-Quake® range of machines could be considered a more favourable tool over more traditional methods of reducing surface compaction. The unique ‘wave’ action of the Verti-Quake® shatters soil laterally, for maximum effectiveness and minimum surface disruption.

The Verti-Quake® range is available in a variety of working widths from 1.1m up to 2.5m with the Verti-Quake 3825, offering a maximum working depth of 380mm (15”). Decompaction of the soil takes place through the rotary motion of offset blades which, combined with the forward speed, make a wave action. This creates the desired fracturing and fissuring in the profile, establishing the all-important channels for downward movement of water and nutrients and vital space for root formation. It is particularly effective when used in conjunction with conventional Verti-Draining, linking networks up with the deeper aeration work conducted in the previous season.

During the wetter winter months, deep aeration to say 10” or 12” during any relatively dry periods will help to keep surfaces playable and free from puddling. By conducting the majority of their work under the surface, the Verti-Quake® creates almost zero surface disruption, bringing turf back into play quicker. However, it should be used with caution in drier conditions as slit lines can shrink and open up if the ground is too dry.

Panmure Golf Club in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland, established in 1845, is widely acknowledged as a distinguished links course, highly regarded for its immaculate fine turf and well kept fairways.

Head greenkeeper, Gary Nicoll, took delivery of a Terra Spike GXi8 HD in early January, his first ever Wiedenmann.

“I’d been wanting to move to the next level with aeration for a while. Our previous machine had done well but time was right for something faster, with a real clean finish. Wiedenmann’s GXi series is used widely across the industry and it’s popular for good reason.

“We have around 11 hectares of turf, seven of which are fairways. All aeration is done in-house, so, it’s our team of six and no contractors. We do all greens, tees, shoulders and fairways, virtually the full course. The old machine was 1.6 m wide and just doing Panmure’s fairways took around four weeks. I’m confident the team with the GXi8 can knock at least a week off this as it’s 20 cm wider and a good bit faster. Even just one week a month would make a healthy saving on greenkeeper time, fuel and play being interrupted.”

Installation training was by Wiedenmann UK’s lead demonstrator, Andy Kerr and Mike Lindsay, area sales manager, from local Scottish dealer, Fairways GM, at Kinross.

The next day, Gary immediately took the opportunity to do all 18 of his greens and the practice green before a combination of rising water tables, thick ice, and then lying snow, halted meaningful work across the course for over four long weeks.

“In that first run out we got a real good taste of what the Wiedenmann can do for us. Instantly it was quicker than what we had been used to, neater and smoother. The clean finish is such a benefit. At the demonstration we found on our fairways, even with a moderate amount of heave, say 10°-15°, the GXi8 makes no disruption to the turf surface; Nor does a departing tine lift up the ground. All disturbance is contained below the surface, just where you want it, it’s left stable with no requirement for extra rolling,” said Gary.

For exceptional aeration, the long-standing favourite of golf courses and fine turf applications is none other than the Toro ProCore 648.

With renowned Toro innovation at its core, the ProCore 648 has been designed with the customer in mind. Years of research, customer input, testing and attention to detail went into making the ProCore 648 the most efficient, productive and clean walking aerator on the market.

Its 48-inch aerating width is one of the largest in the industry, and the location of its wheels in front of the aeration head, well out of the way of the coring path, means the machine doesn’t drive over the fresh holes, or run over the pulled cores from the previous pass, making clear-up far cleaner, easier, quicker and less labour intensive.

The TrueCoreTM ground-following system maintains consistent aeration depth while six precision-balanced coring heads make aerating remarkably smooth.

With these innovative features, the ProCore 648 delivers minimum disturbance to the turf and gets surfaces back into play quickly.

Plus, with the ability to aerate up to 18 greens in approximately seven hours, you can rest assured that the ProCore 648 is built to get the job done.