Organic matter accumulation and soil compaction is a major concern for turfgrass managers, causing an increase in the softness of the surface, decreased water infiltration rate, and increased surface water retention. The ideal cultivation practice is one, which improves soil physical properties of the green while minimizing injury to the playing surface. Shade is another common challenge for putting green management. Shaded areas may be weak and more easily damaged from mechanical or foot injury. In order to maintain healthy turf, understanding how above ground and below ground environmental factors influence the plant is important. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of cultivation practices and temporal shade on creeping bentgrass used for golf greens. The longevity and duration of two novel cultivation practices [air injection cultivation (AIC) or sand injection cultivation (SIC)] alone or in combination with conventional hollow tine cultivation (HTC) was evaluated in field studies at the Oklahoma State University Turfgrass Research Center and at six golf courses in central Oklahoma. Seasonal variability of several soil physical properties and turf quality was recorded regardless of cultivation treatment. Summer measurements had a higher infiltration rate, softer playing surface, and reduced ball roll distance compared to fall and spring measurements. Compared with the untreated control, HTC reduced surface firmness by 5% at 28 days after cultivation event (DACE), increased infiltration by 88% at 28 DACE, reduced ball roll distance by 6% up to 14 DACE, and reduced normalize difference vegetation index (NDVI) by 10 % up to 14 DACE. The AIC and SIC had no consistent effect on any soil physical properties. Timing of shade did not affect the net carbon assimilation rate. Shoot dry weight was lower in morning shade compared to the non-shaded control and afternoon shade treatments. Results suggest novel cultivation practices were not as effective as conventional hollow tine cultivation in managing soil physical properties. Use of novel cultivation practices should be used in combination with, as opposed to in place of, conventional hollow tine cultivation. For shade management, there is evidence reducing the amount of morning shade may be more critical than doing so for afternoon shade. These studies contribute to the current knowledge regarding creeping bentgrass management in the transition zone.