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We’ve all been there: you arrive at the first green, ready to read your putt, and then—surprise!—the surface is pockmarked with small holes and dotted with sand. Your first instinct: to roll your eyes. That’s the wrong instinct. What looks like a construction site is actually a thorough, discreet, and essential maintenance task that the course maintenance team performs to ensure your greens remain dense, even, and enjoyable all season long. We’ll explain everything so that next time, you’ll smile instead of grumbling.

 

A green breathes (or at least it should)

 

A green isn’t a carpet. It’s a living surface, made up of thousands of blades of bentgrass or bluegrass, with a network of roots beneath the surface that needs air, water, and nutrients to stay healthy. The problem is that every activity leaves an invisible mark: repeated foot traffic from players, frequent close mowing, watering, rain, and frost eventually compact the soil. As a result, the soil structure becomes compacted, air circulation is reduced, the roots wither, and the turf loses its vigor.

That is exactly what aeration is designed to correct. By drilling holes in the soil at regular intervals, the field crew literally reopens the space the roots need to grow deeper.

 

What is the practical purpose of ventilation?

 

Behind this somewhat technical term lie very tangible benefits for gameplay quality:

 

• Better air circulation, which is essential for root function.
• A deeper root system means a more resilient lawn.
• Water that penetrates the soil more effectively instead of pooling on the surface.
• More efficient absorption of water and nutrients by the roots.
• Reduced compaction, ensuring that the soil remains conducive to grass growth over the long term.
• Better control of felt, an organic material that, when used in excess, retains too much water.
• Greater resistance to disease and stress, particularly during periods of extreme heat.

 

A well-ventilated green is a green that holds up better in the middle of August, when high traffic and heat go hand in hand.

 

Sand: That Underestimated Ally

 

After aeration, sand is applied to the green. You might think it’s just used to fill in the holes. In reality, it plays a much broader role in the soil structure:

 

Yes, the amount of sand may seem overwhelming on the day it's laid. But it is then brushed in, worked into the surface, and absorbed by it. The visual disruption and disruption to traffic last only a few days.

 

A frequency designed for the season—not chosen at random

 

During the growing season, these treatments are performed on the greens about once a month, with the depth and frequency adjusted according to the weather and soil conditions. This frequency is consistent with practices observed on other French courses, where aeration is ideally performed on the fairways and tees once a year and on the greens once a month. Not all aeration sessions are the same: some involve substantial sanding, while others are lighter, depending on the objective at that point in the season.

The real challenge for a field team is coordinating the schedule. Aeration is particularly effective in the spring and early fall, especially for curbing the spread of annual bluegrass, but the various tournaments don’t always allow us to perform this task at the ideal time. That’s why our team works around the tournament schedule and the Grand Prix to find the best possible windows—between events and outside of major tournament weekends.

 

Promote bentgrass, suppress annual bluegrass

 

There is a long-term goal behind all of this: to change the composition of the turf itself. Aeration and sanding—by improving oxygenation, water infiltration, and root development—create conditions more favorable to bentgrass, that fine, dense grass that is particularly sought after on greens. The goal is not to eliminate annual bluegrass all at once, but to strengthen, month by month, the competitiveness of bentgrass against it.

A green that’s better suited to bentgrass is a denser, more resilient, and higher-performing green. And this surface quality is no small matter: it’s one of the reasons our rolling, wooded course—designed by Ronald Fream—has earned its place among the top 18-hole courses.

 

What about during hot weather or when someone is sick?

 

During heat waves, the green is subjected to significant stress, and compacted soil limits root function. Proper aeration helps the turf better withstand heat waves, droughts, and heavy summer traffic. It also plays a preventive role against certain diseases that are exacerbated by excess moisture or poor air circulation in the soil. Aeration and sanding are not a substitute for treatment once a disease has already taken hold, but they significantly reduce the risk of it developing.

 

What You'll See (and Why It Doesn't Matter)

 

In the days following maintenance, it is normal to see small holes, visible sand, slight unevenness, and a temporarily less consistent roll. There is no cause for concern: the grass will gradually fill in the openings, and the sand will settle into the surface. The green will regain its appearance, firmness, and rolling quality within a few days.

In the meantime, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying the rest of your day at the club. If your putts haven’t been falling as you’d hoped, head out to the patio to relax with something from the 19 menu while you wait for the green to do its thing.

 

In summary

 

Aeration about once a month, carefully controlled sanding—and the entire season benefits: healthier greens today, better-performing greens tomorrow. This minor inconvenience lasting just a few days is the price we pay for long-lasting quality of play on a course nestled in a preserved natural environment.