Written by: Joyce Fang
2026
Traditional aeration practices often face challenges such as core soil disposal and high sand consumption, which increase maintenance costs and can have environmental impacts.
Through long-term innovation in course maintenance, Shanghai Links Golf Club has developed a breakthrough fairway aeration approach by adopting core soil crushing and turf return technology. This process transforms what was previously considered maintenance waste into a valuable resource.
During aeration, extracted core soil is collected, crushed, cleaned of impurities, and naturally dried before being reused to backfill aeration holes. As a result, up to 870 tonnes of sand can be saved per fairway aeration operation, significantly reducing material purchases while promoting resource recycling and environmental sustainability.
