[Mike_Young]

Some of the comments make me realize the average guy has no idea what a real low budget club actually is.  Thinking they would have a line item for topdressing greens more than once a year and much less fairways is an unheard of luxury for so many. 

There are a few in Georgia that do well without huge maintenance budgets but they are the exceptions. 

Bill M,..that red sand is not actually red sand but a mixture of red clay silt and red clay.  In many tournaments the bunkers cannot be played the day after a rain due to the silt layer and lift clean and place ir required in the bunkers.  But I do like the look....

[Adam Lawrence]

The rather large stand of heather at Walton suggests it can.

Which also suggests Walton Heath isn't really clay.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'isn't really clay'. Walton, as Alan Strachan will confirm if he sees this, is essentially clay over underlying chalk. The depth of the clay layer varies. I know this from extensive conversations with people at the club, including Alan's predecessor, the late Ian McMillan, and its former and current greens chairmen, and also from reading Fowler's description of how the bunkers were drained, which I will dig out and post.

[Frank Pont]

No doubt he does. If it is clay, as a playing surface it plays nothing like other clay-based courses.

Agree, I was baffled when I first heard it is clay.....

[Jon Wiggett]

No doubt he does. If it is clay, as a playing surface it plays nothing like other clay-based courses.

Agree, I was baffled when I first heard it is clay.....

Partly it depends on the various layers but mostly on proper drainage. You need to ensure that drainage has a long term effect meaning it should be deep (4 foot at least) and also make sure there is good air circulation to help dry out the surface as quick as possible. Clay does not drain as well as a sandy soil but if addressed properly it should be possible to have firmish conditions through the winter.

Jon

[James Boon]

As Adam has said, Walton Heath is clay above chalk.

The British Geological Survey shows it as an area of "Clay - with silt, sand and gravel... on bedrock of chalk", whilst the Natural Environment Research Council show it as an area with soil texture of "clayey loam".

And before you ask, I'm not a geologist, I just have a couple of useful geology apps on my iPhone which come in handy when referencing vernacular architecture... 

A quick pan around these apps to a number of other "heathland" courses, shows them all to essentially be on sand of some description, so WH seems a bit of an anomaly from its subsoil perspective.

Cheers,

James

[Sean_A]

No doubt he does. If it is clay, as a playing surface it plays nothing like other clay-based courses.

The description of the sub soil and style of course can be misleading. Little Aston is "classed" a parkland but most of the holes have a gravel and sand base.  The course drains much better than your average parkland and just as well as the Surrey heathland courses.  Stratford too is gravel based and does quite well in terms of drainage, yet its called a parkland.  I think part of the reason courses get called whatever is down to the style of the bunkers.  Little Aston most definitely has parkland (Augusta style bunkers) which make it look more parkland than it is. 

Getting back to Walton Heath, would folks think they have a small maintenance budget?  In any case, WH is easily the best conditioned "heathland" course I know of. 

Ciao

[Jaeger Kovich]

FYI, chalk is free draining.

[Adam Lawrence]

Chalk is unbelievably free draining, quicker than sand. But it's the clay on top of it that makes Walton's dryness impressive.

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