Golf Course Aerification

Drill & Fill Aerification

The condition of turf largely depends on the events occurring below the surface. For grass to grow, deep healthy roots are needed, and roots demand oxygen. In good soil, they receive oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between soil and sand particles. On a golf course the everyday traffic from players combined with the weight of heavy mowing equipment causes the soil to become compacted and the air pockets on which the roots depend for oxygen are lost. Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air spaces in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, water percolation and compaction relief.


The Drill and Fill aerification machines use 24 carbide-tipped drill bits, drilling up to 8” deep on 7 1/2” centers using 7/8” diameter drill bits. The holes are filled with the amendment of your choice, thereby modifying the soil profile.

The Drill and Fill aerifier utilizes a specially designed fluted drill bit. The proprietary carbide drill bits fracture the cylinder wall, thereby allowing lateral movement of air and water. The uniform drill process ensures that the aerification holes are drilled in the turf straight and in exact alignment and dimension. The “straight in, straight out” drilling enables aerification under a variety of moisture conditions and minimizes the adverse impact to the turf. The holes are smooth and even. The drill bits eliminate compaction along the sides and bottom of the aerification hole, allowing for a quick and effective penetration even in heavily compacted soil including hardpan. Little or no glazing occurs in our aerification process.  Some other aerification methods create bounce or pull up the turf when creating holes. The perfect alignment ensures that there is no ripping of the playing surface and keeps soil residue small and easy to scatter. The soil is extracted from the aerification conduit arriving at the surface of the turf in a pulverized condition while filling the hole with soil amendment. Only a small ant hill type mound of soil residue remains after each penetration. The relatively fine texture of the residue can be easily spread over the playing surface.

The Drill and Fill aerification process applies only 9 pounds per square inch to the surface of the green. The “gentle footprint” of this aerifier, in conjunction with the absence of cyclic vibration and the “straight in, straight out” action of the drill bits, gives our machines the capability of aerating greens that are wet, dry or experiencing periods of high stress. No ragging, ripping or tearing of the greens occurs. The process leaves the greens or fairways unharmed and playable almost immediately.

Premier Greens & Turf’s Drill and Fill aerification and compaction relief system is based on our machinery and proprietary drill bits.  This method is an excellent way of permanently changing the profile of the soil without the cost of expensive renovations. A greater amount of water will penetrate the ground and be utilized more efficiently before it reaches the drainage system. A long term Drill & Fill aerification program can be cost effective over rebuilding.

The Drill and Fill aerifier is also excellent for use in other problem areas like tee boxes and fairways because the rotating drill bits will penetrate subsoil areas, where other machines tend to walk or bounce, often causing trauma to the playing surface.

Drill & Fill Aerifier

Picture
Drill & Fill Aerifier
  ~ Purges toxic gas build up
  ~ Increases oxygen level in soil
  ~ Promotes a deep and healthier root system
 ~ Increases water percolation
 ~ Relieves compaction, penetrates hardpan and improves drainage
 ~ Offers fast healing time
 ~ Have better water and fertilizer utilization
 ~ Golf courses are playable almost immediately
 ~ Change soil profile with a variety of soil amendments
 ~ Most effective cost and labor method to insert a new material for a permanent medium for root growth
 ~ Change profile of Greens WITHOUT renovation