If you are playing golf in Colorado in late summer or early fall and find holes dotting the greens or fairways, you’re in the midst of aerification season. While those tiny holes may seem like a nuisance, aerification is one of the most important practices for maintaining healthy turf and sustainable golf courses across the state.
Aerification is like a reset button for the soil. Golf course superintendents across Colorado use it to relieve soil compaction, manage thatch buildup, improve drainage, and promote healthy air and water flow to the roots. When soil becomes compacted from heavy foot traffic, golf carts, and mowers, the grass suffers. It can’t breathe properly, and roots have a harder time absorbing the nutrients and moisture they need to thrive.
Colorado’s climate and growing conditions make aerification especially important. The area can experience stress factors from high elevation and intense sunlight to heavy snowmelt in the spring. Cultivating the turf helps keep it strong and resilient.
Most Colorado courses schedule aerification in late summer or fall. In mountain regions, it often happens just before snowfall. That may seem counterintuitive, since the turf isn’t actively growing then, but it helps prevent pooling and ice buildup during spring melt.
Courses use several different aerification methods depending on turf type, soil conditions, and stress levels. Core aerification is one of the most common practices - it involves removing small plugs of soil from the surface. These holes help oxygen, nutrients, and water reach deeper into the soil. Sand is often top-dressed over the surface afterward, filling the holes and smoothing the turf as it recovers.
In addition to core aerification, some courses use solid-tine aerification (which punches holes without removing soil), slicing or spiking (which improve surface infiltration with less disruption), or deep-drill methods (which bring up soil and allow backfilling with materials like sand to improve drainage long term).
Vertical mowing - also known as verticutting - is another part of a well-rounded cultivation program. It helps reduce thatch (a layer of organic material that can choke out roots) and encourage healthy new growth.
Every aerification method used by Colorado superintendents ties back to the Best Management Practices (BMPs) outlined in the state’s official golf course sustainability guidelines. BMPs recommend aerifying 15–20% of putting green surface area annually and tailoring frequency based on traffic, stress periods, and percolation rates. They also guide topdressing depth, timing, and the use of weed-free sand to protect turf health and water quality.
These practices support long-term environmental stewardship and healthier playing conditions.
Aerification might look like a disruption, but it’s an investment in the game’s future. It helps ensure Colorado golf courses can remain green, playable, and sustainable. So the next time you see those little holes on the green, remember they’re signs of a course doing the right thing.