In cool season temperature zones, sod is often the choice for athletic field renovation. When soil pore size continuity is an issue, rooting and playability often become compromised as playing seasons endure. Core cultivation alleviates these issues, but cannot interrupt playability, so the practice is often delayed. One possible alternative is pre-harvest core cultivation. The objective of this study was to determine if pre-harvest core cultivation of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) sod grown on sandy loam soil would a) significantly decrease the overall weight and strength of sod at harvest, and b) improve establishment quality on two soil types (loamy sand and sand). Experimental design was a RCBD in a 2x5 factorial, sod type and core cultivation, respectively. Sod types were conventional and big roll sod. Core cultivation treatments included pre-harvest core cultivation at 5 and 10% affected surface area, post-harvest core cultivation at 5 and 10% affected surface area, and no cultivation treatment. Core cultivated sod received 3.2 mm of sand topdressing after cultivation treatments, sod that received no cultivation treatments did not receive sand topdressing. Data collected included sod weight and strength at the time of harvest, color and quality, and post establishment sod strength and rooting measurements. First year results (2004) determined big roll sod was significantly heavier and stronger than conventional sod cut at the same depth, and pre-harvest core cultivation significantly reduced sod weight and strength at the time of harvest. Big roll sod was significantly higher in sod strength in comparison to conventional sod 41 and 48 days after installation on the sandy soil. Thirty days after installation, pre-harvest core cultivated sod at 5% affected surface area was not significantly different from the control and significantly higher in sod strength than the pre-harvest and post-harvest core cultivation at 10% affected surface area.