2026 Summer Aeration Update

As we wrap up another successful aeration week, we would like to thank you for your patience and understanding while GCM completed these important annual maintenance tasks.

Aeration is one of the most beneficial practices we perform each year to maintain healthy turf and provide exceptional playing conditions throughout the season. By relieving soil compaction, improving air and water movement, and encouraging deeper root growth, we're investing in the long-term health of the golf course. We close in July to aerate FW's while the warm season Hybrid Bermuda is actively growing. This July's weather facilitated a small tine aeration of the greens as well.

What you can expect on Saturday when the course re-opens is putting surfaces showing some small aeration holes and a little sand. We will mow and roll the greens through the weekend, however expect slower surfaces but true. Fairways will have a tan appearance to them from all of the aeration and topdressing practices, and they'll be a bit sandy but lies will be very good. They might be a little wet in some areas as we need keep them hydrated with the presence of open holes which can accelerate soil drying. A picture is worth a thousand words so below are photo's of the week, outlining the process for those who are interested.

Greens Aeration

The first step in the  greens aeration process is to actually aerate the greens. Above is an example of greens aeration using a Toro Procore 648 Turf Aerator an industry standard. We set up the aerator with 1/4" coreing tines fitting with our philosphy of small hole but more frequent putting surface aeration. Small holes are less disruptive to the surface and therfore recover much quicker then larger more traditional greens aeration holes. This process is a poa annua prevention strategy as well along with putting quality strategy as small holes dont effect ball roll as much and recover rapidly limiting poa's germination.

The next step is to remove the cores extracted from the surface with the Procore. We recently had an oppurtunity to rent a core sweeper that significantly reduces the strain of processing cores developed during aeration. Above depicts the Pure Turf Core Sweeper working in tandom with the Toro Procore Turf Aerator and our own GCM partners with blowers keeping the process clean and tight.

Following the cleaning of the surface we apply sand topdressing with a Toro Propass 200 Series Topdressor. Applying topdressing sand to the surface is crucial as it fills the aeration holes for stability & surface firmness and it dilutes the excessive organic matter that putting surfaces are prone to develop.

Aftery some drying of the topdressing sand we use a GreensGroomer Brush to work the sand into the aeration holes and turf canopy. This brushing process can be hard on the surface if applied excessively. Therfore we dont try to apply too much sand in the  first pass of topdressing which would require the damageing excessive brushing. Experience has taught us to make subsequent light applications of sand to completly fill aeration holes and brush this light amount in, limiting the bruseing it can cause to the surface.

We had the oppurtunity to let the greens rest  after all of the above mentioned aeration processes this week as we were closed Monday 7/6/26 through Friday 7/10/26. Normally when we do this 1/4" aeration process to the putting surfaces, we do it on a closed Monday and need to prep the greens for Member play the following Tuesday. Here we are on Friday rolling the greens for the first time since aeration on Monday. Rolling will help the sand settle in, smooth and prepare them for mowing ahead of Member play on Saturday

After the rolling we go ahead and mow the surface for the first time since Sunday. We can get away with this being closed for a week but as I mentioned above, normal circumstances opening on Tuesday after a Monday 1/4" aeration event we have to prepare surfaces for Member use.

Above is a fair representation of the greens Members will encounter on Saturday when the course re-opens. Small 1/4" holes wont deflect ball roll, but speed will be down for at least a week longer

Fairway Aeration

Flagging irrigation heads and valve boxes is the first step in any aeration process as aeration equipment will destroy irrigation heads and must be avoided. Even with all of the proactive work of flagging heads it is enivitable that some of them will get clipped with the aerator and require replacement. 

Granite Bay is blessed to have two Toro Procore 1298 Turf Aerators for aeration. Having two big aerators allow us to get allot done rapidly in the AM so when daybreak arrives the extracted turf cores start to dry out and we can start to process them. Dry conditions are crucial for the remaining processes of verticle mowing, sand topdressing and brushing. Above depicts the two Procore 1298's extracting cores on #9.

We took advantage of the flagged irrigation heads this aeration cycle and trimmed the overgrown turf from them. This will allow us to identify the low heads so we can start the process of raising and leveling them.

We added Vertical Mowing to this years aeration process with the goal of getting the Santa Anna Hybrid Bermuda  fairways into a more upright growth habit and at the same time removing thatch or excessive organic matter. The entire process of aeration and vertical mowing must be done when the Santa Anna is actively growing which is the primary reason we close the golf course the week after the 4th of July. 

Here is a good look at the verticle blades of the vertical mowing units for our fairway mower's. The blades are set to go down almost 1/2" removing thatch and cutting the lateral stems or stolons of the hybrid bermuda plant. This encourages new sprouts from severed stems and promotes an upright growth habit.

Above is a good look at the fairway surface after core aeration and verticle mowing

The next step is to sweep up all of the thatch and debris removed from the aeration and verticle mowing process.

We left piles of this thatch and debris in native areas near the holes we were aerating. We do this because time is of the essence during this process and we need to complete the entire job in the allocated closure time of one week. It would take too long to drive the sweepers across the course to dump on the corner of Barton Road. We will come back and remove these piles next week.

After the sweeping  process we use a mower to cut the bermuda plants that were stood up from the sweeping.  Mowing at this point creates  more oppurtunities for sprouting of new plants and upright growth.

After aeration & Verticle Mowing cleanup and mowing we start to add topdressing sand .

After adding the sand we like to let it dry a little and then brush it into the turf canopy.

Here we are brushing in the fairway topdressing sand.

Above is a fair representation of the fairways Members will encounter on Saturday when the course re-opens. This is #1 which was done early in the process so will be a little farther along then subsequent holes. You'll see some brown, you'll see some sand which will mostly disappear by next week.

We appreciate your continued support and understanding as we care for the Club's greatest asset. We in GCM take great pride in maintaining the course, and we're excited to welcome you back to enjoy it.

2025 Fall Aeration & Seeding

Coming up a week from now on Tuesday 9/23/25 we will celebrate the 2025 Fall Equinox. The reason we celebrate is half of our golf course, the rough, still consists mostly of cool season varieties of turf that are susceptible to Sacramento summers. And even though we had what will be  considered a mild summer by Sacramento standards, its still summer with long days and plenty of heat that can effect cool season turf negatively. The equinox marks the official end of summer and is the best time to refresh the cool season areas on the course with new seed. 

The cool season rough at Granite Bay encompasses over half of all playing surfaces after our fairway  turf conversion in 2021 to warm season Santa Anna hybrid bermuda. In the four years since this conversion we have made substantial progress on improving irrigation coverage in the rough to mitigate the effect summer. We plan to continue this work after we complete aerification and seeding of the rough which is in process right now ahead of and during the equinox. 

The picture above is an example of the irrigation work GBGC GCM has been working on in the fall and winter seasons since the 2021 renovation. The smaller sprinklers depicted are designed to improve irrigation coverage into the rough only. These "blocks" of irrigation heads aim into the rough, are completely controllable and have made a substantial difference maker in every place we have installed them. These "blocks" of irrigation heads are the key to GBGC's cool season rough success during future summer's and we plan to return to installing them later this fall and through the winter. 

First Things First

Before we can get started on installing these irrigation blocks, we need to get through our clubs early fall business, while aerifying and seeding rough and overseeding the Santa Anna hybrid bermuda tees and select shady surrounds. Aerifying and seeding the rough in the fall has always been something we need to do at Granite Bay after the summer losses of varying degrees. Theoretically after we complete the irrigation install over the next couple of winter seasons, we wont have as many summer losses. However I suspect we will always need some refreshing with seed in the rough during the fall. Below is a schedule of our aerification and overseeding process for the fall of 2025 and some overseeding & aerification process pictures

2025 Tee Overseeding Dates

Monday 9/22/25 - Prep & Overseed Back tee's 1-18

Tuesday 9/23/25 - Prep & Overseed B9 Tees & Shady Surrounds - B9 - Closed

Wednesday 9/24/25 - Prep & Overseed F9 Tees & Shady Surrounds - F9 Closed

Overseeding Steps

Step #1 is to scarify the surface of the tee, This scarification process thins out the stand of Hybrid Bermuda allowing space for ryegrass seed to nestle in and make contact with the soil.

Step #2 is to clean up the debris created during the scarification process. Here we are blowing the debris into an accessible area for sweeping up with the big sweeper.

Here we are sweeping

Step #3 we mow the scarified, cleaned up surface preparing it for seeding.

Step #4 apply ryegrass seed. We overseed at a rate of 400 lb's per acre.

Step #5 we topdress over the top of the seed with clean sand.

Step #6 we irrigate  to "push" the sand & seed into turf canopy.

Above depicts the surface after the six step process described above.

And here is the surface a few weeks later after the seed has germinated and surfaces have been mowed a couple of times. 


Thank You for Your Support

2025 Fairway Aeration & Expansion of Our Santa Anna

In our previous Granite Bay Course Update we outlined our planned Santa Anna Hybrid Bermuda expansion and the steps we took to prepare areas for re-grassing with aeration cores. This past week beginning Monday July 7th we were closed for fairway aeration in which we utilized the extracted cores from the fairway aeration process for the re-grassing of the areas we prepared the preceding weeks. 

This was the first time we endeavored to expand hybrid bermuda in this fashion and we learned quite a bit from the experience. Below are pictures of the process for those who are interested.

Step one in fairway aeration is all sprinkler heads, valve boxes & yardage markers have to be flagged so aerifyer operators can lift and avoid these obstacles while aerifying. 

Second step for us is to aerate around these sprinkle heads creating a buffer zone for the following aerifyer.

Third step is we aerify up the fairway now that we can navigate around sprinkler heads easier having aerated around the sprinkler heads ahead of this aerator.

The fourth step is to collect cores and place them in the prepared areas that we described in our last course update. This is the step that we knew the least about going into expanding the Santa Anna. After some experimentation with other pieces of equipment and methods, we settled on careful removal of the extracted fairway cores using our front end loader to push, pick-up and move to the expansion areas. This was a relief as it is productive of a process as there is, and we ended up using substantially more cores then we initially thought. The areas stripped and prepared on #9 & #8 measured approximately 12,000 square feet and they took all of the cores generated on hole #8 & #9. We wanted to keep the cores intact for a better end result so using the loader turned out to be a BMP versus sweeping up the cores with our giant sweeper which would have broken these cores up.

Step five, move the cores to the prepared areas.

Step six was to rake the cores onto the prepared area.

Here is the finished product after raking.

Step seven after we have removed cores for re-grassing expanded areas we drag remaining cores for removal.

Step eight is to remove the cores with sweepers and blowers.

Step nine is to mow ahead of  sand topdressing

Step ten is to sand topdress the aerified fairways.

Sand topdressing is the process that is the most time consuming of all of the fairway aeration processes. This year in  31/2 days we moved 700 tons of sand, covering 30 acres of fairways, 4 yards at a time from three strategic locations

2024 picture of the topdressor working in front of #4 green.

The area above circled in green is another 2024 picture showing one 4 yard load spread out on #16 fairway. 

Enrique Reyes Hureta, the man, the myth, the legend, the one behind the spreading all of that sand in 3-1/2 days. We couldn't do it without him

The last step in the fairway aeration processes brushing in the sand. We brush all fairways twice during the process. 

What To Expect When You Return To The Club Saturday 7/14/25

When you return Saturday you will encounter freshly aerated fairways with open holes and remnants of topdressing sand. Open holes can dry the surface out so the fairways could be a bit wet in areas initially. There will be sand present so if you do not want to scratch you irons, you might consider a using older irons until the sand disperses.

Here is what the freshly aerified  fairways will look like from afar.

And a closer look you will see aerification holes which will be gone by the end of next week

You will also notice all of the areas that we put the aeration cores into having some temporary soaker sprinklers installed on the surface. The trick to getting these cores established is to keep them moist during the initial rooting stage and this temporary soaker irrigation will help us achieve just that. The re-grassed area doesn't look like much now, but by the end of next week we will see green grass getting started. By the end of July we hope to see substantial coverage over the area and by the end of August we hope to have full coverage.

More to come on our Santa Anna Expansion. Thanks as always for your support of our efforts on the course.