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Key Takeaways

  • We surveyed 174 golf course superintendents at public and private courses across the country to better understand current trends in putting green aeration techniques and timing.
  • On average, courses in our survey performed six aeration events in 2025, but the number of annual aeration events ranged from 1 to more than 12 across the sample.
  • The most frequently used tine style was “Solid Tine Smaller Than ½” Diameter.” For courses with warm-season greens, these tines were used most frequently outside the summer months, while cool-season courses used these tines most frequently during June, July and August.
  • More than 70% of respondents reported using multiple implements during at least one aeration event in 2025.
  • If superintendents applied topdressing as part of aeration, it was most common to apply sand prior to performing different types of solid-tine aeration, and after the various types of hollow-tine aeration.

Putting green aeration is an important part of golf course maintenance. It is also expensive, disruptive and unpopular among golfers. Superintendents are using a wide range of tactics, timing and tools to get the most possible benefit from their aeration practices while trying to work around golf calendars that are busier than ever – and it’s not easy! At the same time, researchers are always learning more about aeration and studying alternative approaches that may deliver the desired results in a more efficient or less disruptive way. The result is a complex and constantly evolving picture of how superintendents approach putting green aeration across the U.S.

To learn more about the current range of practices and approaches being used, we surveyed a group of superintendents from golf courses around the country. We placed an emphasis on balancing geographic locations of the courses among the western, central, northeastern and southeastern U.S. We also ensured that a variety of facility types, putting green construction methods, and grasses being managed were included. Overall, we received responses from 174 superintendents in 40 states. We had a fairly even split of 82 private and 92 public courses. Most of them (136) had cool-season greens, while 38 of the courses had warm-season greens. Most respondents (104) had sand-based greens while 70 were managing greens constructed with native soil, a combination of native soil and sand, or something else (Figure 1). This is not a random sample as it was developed through the networks of Green Section staff and Green Section Record readers. However, it is a broad sample, and we feel that the results represent a good snapshot of golf courses around the country. 

The following categories were used to distinguish between the various types of aeration tools: Ninja/Samurai Microtines, Solid Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter, Solid Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, Hollow Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter, Hollow Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, Deep Tine to a 6” Depth or Deeper, and Other Tines (Bayonet, Star and others). We also asked about the number of times each tine style was used in 2025, what months of the year aeration was performed, if multiple implements were ever used during an aeration event – e.g., verticutting or slicing immediately before or after aeration – and whether sand topdressing was associated with the aeration events.

Results

Number of Aeration Events, Tine Styles and Using Various Implements
Most respondents (69%) in this survey reported two to seven total aeration events in 2025, but there are some who aerated only once and others who reported aerating 13 or more times. Private courses averaged one more aeration event than public courses and had a wider range in the number of aeration events. The differences between the median number of aeration events based on greens construction method ranged from seven events on greens with mixed or multiple construction types to five on sand-based greens. Courses with greens constructed on native soils ranged from two to over 18 aeration events last year. Sand-based greens had the lowest average number of aeration events with 5.8, while greens constructed on native soils averaged 7.2 aeration events in 2025. The ages of the greens had a minimal effect on the number of aeration events per year, with all four categories – 0 to 5 Years Old, 6 to 10 Years Old, 11 to 20 Years Old, and 21+ Years Old – averaging 5.9 to 7.4 aeration events in 2025.

In total, there were 1,061 aeration events accounted for in our survey (Figure 2). Of those, the most common tine style (343 events) was Solid Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter. The second most frequently used tine style was Ninja/Samurai Microtines with 174 events in 2025. The least-used tine style was Hollow Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter (76 events). Solid Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, Hollow Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, and Other Tines were used around 100 times each, and Deep Tine to a 6” Depth or Deeper accounted for 148 events.  

December, January and February had the fewest aeration events (76 events total), while April (119 total events) and June through September (125 to 136 events) had the most. Solid Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter had the most use in June, July and August, with a peak of 49 events in August. Deep-tine aeration was done most frequently in April and November, with 27 and 25 events respectively. April was also the most popular month for aerating with Solid Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, at 25 events. Ninja/Samurai Microtine use peaked in June with 27 events. Hollow Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter were used consistently from March through October, ranging from 6-11 events per month. Hollow Tines ½” Diameter or Larger were most used from March to November, with anywhere from 5-18 events per month. 70.1% of golf courses used multiple implements for at least one aeration event.

Turf Type
When comparing aeration practices between golf courses that have warm- or cool-season putting greens, 24% of warm-season courses performed seven to eight aeration events in 2025 versus 20% of cool-season courses, while a higher percentage of cool-season courses performed putting green aeration three to four times (24%) compared to only 16% of warm-season courses. The average number of aeration events for superintendents managing warm-season greens was 6.6, and it was 6.0 for cool-season greens.

A higher percentage of courses with cool-season greens used Deep Tines to a 6” Depth or Deeper (57% of cool-season courses compared to 40% of warm-season courses) and Solid Tines ½” Diameter or Larger (52% cool season versus 24% warm season) at least once. Courses with warm-season putting greens were more likely to use Hollow Tines ½” Diameter or Larger (50% of warm-season courses compared to 41% of cool-season courses) and Solid Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter (71% warm season versus 59% cool season) at least once. More than 50% of all superintendents managing cool-season greens said they used Deep Tines to a 6” Depth or Deeper, Solid Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, and Solid Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter at least once in 2025.

As you might expect, there were different patterns in the type and timing of aeration throughout the year depending on whether superintendents were managing warm- or cool-season greens (Figure 3). The responses we received indicate that of the superintendents with cool-season greens, most did their large-diameter hollow-tine aerations in April (10.3%), September (13.2%) and October (11.0%) and deep-tine events in April (18.4%) and November (17.7%). They concentrated their small-diameter solid-tine aerations from June through August (29%-32%). On the flip side, superintendents with warm-season turf did most of their small-diameter solid-tine aeration from September to May (24%-37%). They only performed their small- and large-diameter hollow-tine aerations from April through August, with most (32%) doing large-diameter hollow-tine aeration in July. 5% to 16% of superintendents managing warm-season greens used Ninja/Samurai Microtines for aeration every month of the year. This fits the growth pattern that we see from warm-season greens in the U.S., with very active summer growth and slower growth or dormancy in the shoulder seasons and winter.

Topdressing
We also included questions about topdressing associated with aeration events. We asked respondents to select any aeration practices where they filled holes with sand, and if they topdressed before, after, or not at all with each type of aeration they used. Almost 100% of respondents reported filling holes with sand when using Hollow Tines ½” Diameter or Larger. 76% and 75% filled holes with sand when aerating with Hollow Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter and Solid Tines ½” Diameter or Larger, respectively. 57% of superintendents also filled holes with sand when performing deep-tine aeration. Less than 40% of superintendents who used Ninja/Samurai Microtines, Solid Tines Smaller Than ½” Diameter, and Other Tines filled the holes with sand, which makes sense given the difficulty of filling smaller holes. With all forms of solid-tine aeration, superintendents who applied topdressing were more likely to apply it before the aeration event. The opposite pattern was observed with the different types of hollow-tine aeration, including Ninja/Samurai Microtines. 

Final Thoughts

This study identified some clear trends in aeration practices, and it also highlights the wide range of approaches that superintendents are using in the U.S. It is very likely that variety in aeration practices will only increase as superintendents continue experimenting, as research highlights the benefits of different approaches, and as new tools come to market. The snapshot of aeration practices that we gathered in this survey probably looks considerably different than it would have 10 years ago, and we can only speculate what the picture may look like 10 years in the future. The benefits of aeration will always be there, as will the challenges of obtaining those benefits while minimizing impact on play.