Fall cleanup, winterization

The last week I have received many questions about the aerification of the fairways.  Without too much science and detail, I will try to explain the process.  We do a traditional aerification on the red nine (1-8) where we pull cores of soil out of the ground and mulch them up.  We like this approach because of the sandy soil on most of the red.  Pulling the soil up and placing on top helps us control thatch.  The rest of the course is treated with a modified slicing approach with a piece of equipment called an "aerway".  The aerway makes a slice about 4 inches long and shatters the soil below the ground.  The reason for the different approaches is the soil subsurface, because of the different soils, we change the management of these soils.  The heavy clay soils of the white and blue courses have been topdressed for several years now and we don't want to incorporate the clay into the sand, so a solid tine approach to aerification is appropriate.  
In addition to cleaning up broken branches, fallen trees, and a billion leaves,  we are closing down the irrigation system this week and have closed the course bathrooms.  We are getting ready for winter---yuck.
I have been banned from cheering for college football teams,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre