5 Burning Aerated Greens Questions, Answered

Golf course aeration, which leaves what is referred to as "punched greens" is a normal part of a golf course’s annual maintenance. 

When golf courses aerate the greens, it leaves holes every couple of inches on the green, which are often filled with sand.

Golf courses typically aerate the greens every spring or fall, or both. Golfers are notorious for bemoaning aerated greens because those holes and the accompanying sand slow down putts and send balls rolling off their line. It’s not quite like Plinko, but playing on aerated greens is definitely frustrating.

During aeration season, it’s a best practice to ask the golf course directly when they plan to aerate before you book your tee time. Some courses are straightforward, but others opt not to proactively warn players, letting them find out when the hit the practice green, or worse, when they get to the first green.

As we mentioned earlier, aerated greens take about a week to 10 days to fully heal. After four to five days you can play a round on aerated greens with only minor inconsistencies. 

That said, you can play golf the day after aeration. If you do, you should expect putts to roll a little slower and accept some random bounces here and there. When greens are sanded and swept after aeration, they often roll a lot truer than you’d expect at first glance.

The other consideration when playing on aerated greens is the potential damage it can do to your putter. When sand sits on top of the greens – which is often the case after aeration – it can scratch and scrape the bottom of your putter. If you use an expensive, premium putter or just want to keep your putter in pristine condition, consider using an alternate putter or using extra caution when playing on freshly-aerated greens.

You might think that your golf course aerates its greens for the sole purpose of aggravating you. While I can’t speak to your greenskeeper’s personal feelings about you, I can tell you that they actually aerate greens for you. Think of it as a service, not a punishment. Here’s why.

Greens take on a lot of traffic. After all, greens and tee boxes are the only areas of the golf course where every single player who comes through the course steps, stands, and plays. 

All that traffic compacts the soil underneath the turf, which seriously hinders the turf’s health and ability to grow. Plus, as the grass on the putting green grows, a layer of thatch grows near the ground’s surface. That thatch layer is spongy, stunts drainage, increases the turf’s risk of disease and leads to soft greens. 

Aerating dilutes the thatch layer and keeps greens playing firm at ideal speeds. It's a necessary part of maintaining pristine greens throughout the golf season.

If you think aeration holes are cruel, wait until you check out the Rules of Golf. The Rules specify that you can repair damage on the putting green without penalty. However, the USGA specifies that aerated marks do not qualify as damage to the putting green, instead classifying them as normal maintenance. I have slightly paraphrased these rules for clarity, including Rule 13-C, which says:

• Damage on the putting green does not include normal practices for maintaining the overall condition of the putting green (such as aeration holes and grooves from vertical mowing).

Sorry, but the Rules aren’t any more forgiving when you skip to the Ground under repair section. The USGA specifically clarifies that aeration holes do not count as Ground under repair.

• Ground under repair also includes the following things, even if the Committee does not define them as such: Any hole made by the Committee or maintenance staff…but not including aeration holes.

There is some good news. The Committee, or you, can opt to implement Model Local Rule E-4, which says (again, we’re slightly paraphrasing):

• If a player’s ball lies in or touches an aeration hole on the putting green, the player may take relief at the nearest point of complete relief, no closer to the hole. Interference does not exist if the aeration hole only interferes with the player’s stance or, on the putting green, on the player’s line of play.

Sometimes your choice is to either play golf on aerated greens or not play golf at all. I’m not sure about you, but for me, that’s an easy choice. I’ll tee it up.

Here are a few tips to help you navigate green aeration season:

1. Know before you go: Ask direct questions, get direct answers. When you call to book your tee time, ask specifically what the course’s aeration schedule is.
2. Mind your putter: Your ego will recover from missing a 4-footer that bounded offline inches before dropping. Your $450 matte black PVD finished putter, however, may not recover from scuffs caused by the excess sand sitting atop the turf. If it’s aeration season, consider gaming a back-up putter if you have one (most golfers who has played long enough have probably suffered a cold streak that led to a putter purchase), or be extra careful when putting on the sandy surfaces.
3. Adjust to the speed: If the greens on the course are aerated, the practice putting green will be aerated as well. Spend some time before your round hitting putts of 5, 10 and 20 feet to get a feel for the speed that day.
4. Manage your expectations: If you play on freshly aerated greens, you will inevitably see a couple balls hop offline. If you can accept this fate before you tee off, and realize that every player in your group is dealing with the same conditions, you will save yourself plenty of frustration. And remember, for every good putt an aeration mark knocks offline, you might hit a bad putt that gets bumped online.