Month: August 2026

  • Air2G2 Aeration Work

    From 31st August – 2nd September 2026, we are pleased to welcome contractor Chris Pearson, who will be on site carrying out aeration work using an Air2G2 aeration machine. This is an important part of our ongoing programme of green maintenance and is designed to improve the condition of the soil beneath the putting surfaces without causing significant disruption to golf.

    The Air2G2 is a specialist machine that uses compressed air to penetrate the soil profile beneath the green. Rather than relying solely on traditional mechanical aeration, the machine injects air into the ground, helping to relieve compaction and improve the structure of the soil.

    This allows air, water and nutrients to move more effectively through the rootzone, creating better growing conditions for the grass.

    Regular aeration is essential for maintaining healthy, resilient greens. Over time, foot traffic, machinery and normal play can compact the soil, reducing the amount of air available around the grass roots and restricting water movement.

    The Air2G2 treatment helps to:

    • Relieve soil compaction.
    • Improve air movement through the rootzone.
    • Encourage deeper and healthier root growth.
    • Improve water infiltration and drainage.
    • Help nutrients reach the grass roots more effectively.
    • Promote stronger, healthier turf.
    • Improve the greens’ ability to withstand periods of heavy play and challenging weather conditions.

    Ultimately, the aim is to create healthier greens beneath the surface, which will contribute to better and more consistent playing surfaces over the longer term.

    One of the key advantages of this method is that the work can be carried out with minimal disruption to the greens surfaces and carried out ahead of play on the course.

    Unlike more intensive forms of aeration, the Air2G2 does not require the greens to be heavily cored or hollow-tined. The treatment creates channels within the soil profile while leaving the majority of the putting surface intact.

    Maintaining high-quality putting surfaces is a year-round process, and much of the most important work takes place beneath the surface where it isn’t always visible.

    The Air2G2 treatment is another step in our commitment to keeping the greens at Royal Aberdeen healthy, consistent and capable of providing the quality of playing surface that our members expect.

    We would like to thank members for their understanding while Chris Pearson carries out the work and, most importantly, for recognising that this relatively unobtrusive treatment is an investment in the long-term health and performance of our greens.

    We look forward to seeing the benefits develop as the greens respond to the improved growing conditions.

  • Bent Seed Overseeding

    From 17th -21st August 2026 the greens and approaches on the Balgownie Links and the Silverburn course will be overseeded with bent grass. The Wiedenmann TERRA FLOAT AIR will allow us to improve turf density and introduce new bentgrass without carrying out a highly disruptive renovation during the main playing season.

    Late summer provides an excellent establishment window when soil temperatures are still warm enough for rapid germination, while the approaching cooler conditions favour sustained cool-season turf growth. Evidence shows that Browntop bentgrass has an optimum germination range of roughly 15–30°C and identifies mid-August into September as a particularly useful period

    The TERRA FLOAT AIR makes sense during play as the machine combines seed placement with very limited surface disruption. This is particularly attractive through the playing season, because the objective is to get seed into the existing turf, achieve good seed-to-soil contact and allow the existing surface to remain playable. So rather than waiting until the end of the season and undertaking a major renovation, a club can potentially build bentgrass populations progressively while continuing to provide optimum turf performance.

    Bentgrass seed is extremely small, so simply spreading seed onto the surface isn’t enough. The seed needs to be located in the upper part of the soil profile and good seed-to-soil contact is essential.

    The TERRA FLOAT AIR allows the club to invest in the future quality of its playing surfaces without necessarily sacrificing today’s golf.

    Instead of waiting for a narrow renovation window and potentially taking greens, tees or other playing areas out of play, we have taken the opportunity to interseed bentgrass during favourable August growing conditions in smaller, less disruptive operations when weather conditions are suitable, while keeping disruption to the playing surface to a minimum.

    The main reasons for seeding bentgrass at Royal Aberdeen are:

    • More uniform growth: Bentgrass tends to produce a consistent, fine-textured putting surface.
    • Better putting quality: Bentgrass maintains a dense, smooth surface. That’s important for fast and smooth greens.
    • Less seedhead trouble: Poa annua produces seedheads, particularly in spring. Those can make greens feel bumpy and inconsistent. Some Poa varieties are better than others, but it’s still a management issue
    • Heat/cold considerations: Bentgrass is particularly well suited to a cool-season golf environment.