[PCCraig]

Now that "firm and fast" has become the accepted (and preferred?) method to maintain classic golf courses, how commonplace has the practice of topdressing become?


Are there any courses that have served as successful case studies of the practice? Resulting in more consistent firm and fast conditions?


Are there any downsides to topdressing?


Given that once a course is top dressed, it requires additional and consistent topdressing. Therefore, what does the practice add to the annual maintenance budget?


Due to the cost of the practice, is it limited to only the wealthiest of clubs?

[Dave McCollum]

I'm not a super and leave top dressing decisions to ours.  However, I do remember one trip to Bandon when an entire course (Dunes, I think) was closed for top dressing.  I was quite amazed they could afford to do this.  I seem to remember chatting with staff about it and someone pointed out that the missing dune ridge where Trails crosses the road was used for such maintenance.  I could have also read that elsewhere.  I guess it helps to own some massive dunes and not to have to pay for the sand.  Still have large labor and fuel costs, but purchasing enough sand for an entire course might run as much as $50K or more.   

[Terry Lavin]

I’m no super either but I’m not sure how much this would help promote firm and fast fairways on non-sandy terrain. On greens?  I’m sure it helps a lot but F&F fairways might be a different story. Will wait for the experts to chime in.

[Jason Topp]

Here is an article on Erin Hills' program



https://erinhills.com/superintendents-corner/commitment-patience-topdressing/

[Adrian_Stiff]

You can't just top dress for firm and fast in the UK, we have the weather too much against us although sandy soils drain faster and is what most clubs are trying to do as well as dilute the thatch accumulation and smooth the surface.



Most UK clubs top dress greens, the better ones would generally be monthly in the growing season, perhaps 1/2 tonne per green ..known as dusting it does not affect play, only real negative is it blunts the blades a bit so you need regular or your own grinding.


Top dressing aprons approaches tees may happen at the wealthiest clubs.


I don't know a UK course that regulary top dresses fairways, the cost would be 20-30x more expensive than greens but in a newer construction it would be more likely to smooth. If you could add an inch or two of sand over a period of time it would significantly be drier, you might need to add an inch over 20 applications.


To some degree many links courses are always being top dressed as the constant movement of the wind on the sand can cover in a similar way.


 

[Steve Okula]

A few years ago I worked up an estimate for our club to initiate a fairway topdressing program.

I based my calculations on nearby Golf National, the 2018 Ryder Cup venue, that began topdressing their fairways four years ago. For 18 holes, it was a relentless, non-stop effort through the growing season to topdress all the fairways with about 1mm of sand every week. By the autumn they had a layer of sand 20mm thick.

Before we could start topdressing fairways at our club, we would need to develop a staging area where multipe truckloads of sand could be stockpiled. The cost of an ample reinforced concrete pad abour 25,000 euros.

The fairway topdressing is a full time job and would need to be above and beyond our routine maintenance. So as not to detract from other aspects of the golf course we would need to create and equip a dedicated team of two people.

Two large tractors, one for the topdresser and one for the loader 30,000 each. The actual topdresser is another 15k. So equipment and infrastructure about 100k.

Salaries of two people six months each with all taxes, social charges, etc. would be 48,000 euros.

Cost of sand, (incl. taxes & delivery) 35euros/cubic meter, 10 cubes/ha (for 1mm sand) X 10 ha of fairways 100 cubes per application 3500 euros, X 20 apps/yr about 70k.

Then there's the fuel, oil, lubes and normal wear and tear items like tires and batteries.

So it would cost us 100k to get started, the 120k or so in operating expenses every year to add 20mm of sand, with the ultimate goal of creating a root zone of 100mm, or a five year program costing us 700,000 euros total.

That's to do the fairways. The carries, roughs, greens surrounds etc would be unaffected.


 

[Jim_Coleman]

    We've been heavily topdressing our greens and fairways for ten years.  In the fairways, one no longer takes a divot.  Mush comes up.  Also, when one chips around greens, there is no bounce to the ground; again, mush.  As for the greens, although firm when dry; mush when wet.  It seems to me (and others) that it has made the grass less healthy.  I know there are supers and consultants (ours) who say it helps improve percolation and promote root depth, and therefore grass quality.  I don't get it.  Needless to say, I'm not a fan.  I'm also not a super.

[Ian Mackenzie]

As far as I know, Pat, the great clubs in Chicago that have true F&F conditions do not top dress their fairways very often at all.
In fact, I know two that dont do it and their FWs are as firm as I have seen this side of the Atlantic.


I have been told that it is all about the proper combo of chemicals and water with mowing practices.
These clubs will rarely turn on irrigation and use a very precise method to hand water greens.

[PCCraig]

    We've been heavily topdressing our greens and fairways for ten years.  In the fairways, one no longer takes a divot.  Mush comes up.  Also, when one chips around greens, there is no bounce to the ground; again, mush.  As for the greens, although firm when dry; mush when wet.  It seems to me (and others) that it has made the grass less healthy.  I know there are supers and consultants (ours) who say it helps improve percolation and promote root depth, and therefore grass quality.  I don't get it.  Needless to say, I'm not a fan.  I'm also not a super.

Thanks, Jim. Which club are you referring to? It would seem counter intuitive that excess sand would result in soggy mush?

[PCCraig]

As far as I know, Pat, the great clubs in Chicago that have true F&F conditions do not top dress their fairways very often at all.
In fact, I know two that dont do it and their FWs are as firm as I have seen this side of the Atlantic.


I have been told that it is all about the proper combo of chemicals and water with mowing practices.
These clubs will rarely turn on irrigation and use a very precise method to hand water greens.

Which two clubs are those, Ian?


Shoreacres is about as fast and firm as any club around these days, I suppose I would of assumed to transform it from it's slow/soggy past to what it is today would of required significant sand topdressing, but I'm no super. Perhaps it's more about chemicals and selective watering.

[Ian Mackenzie]

As far as I know, Pat, the great clubs in Chicago that have true F&F conditions do not top dress their fairways very often at all.
In fact, I know two that dont do it and their FWs are as firm as I have seen this side of the Atlantic.


I have been told that it is all about the proper combo of chemicals and water with mowing practices.
These clubs will rarely turn on irrigation and use a very precise method to hand water greens.

Which two clubs are those, Ian?


Shoreacres is about as fast and firm as any club around these days, I suppose I would of assumed to transform it from it's slow/soggy past to what it is today would of required significant sand topdressing, but I'm no super. Perhaps it's more about chemicals and selective watering.

You know who they are...;-)
Our new super is from the same school and worked with the other two guys.


Yes, they may topdress after aeration in the spring, but that's it.
Fertilizer? Not so much.
H2O? Sparingly.

[Jim_Coleman]

    My club is Rolling Green in the Philadelphia area - a 1920's push up green course.  The subject is controversial, as you might expect.  There are knowledgeable people who strongly believe in heavy sanding.  For what it's worth, we just decided to find a new super. 

[Randy Thompson]

Thatch is spongy, topdressing following verticutting will provide a firmer surface but an inch of sand on top of a poorly draining clay soil won`t make a big difference. I would rather spend the money on using a vetidrain and followed by a good surfactant to help the wáter infiltrate and maintian a semi-dry surface.

[Greg Chambers]

F&F starts and ends with turning down the irrigation and reducing the inputs.  Topdressing fairways is futile.

[Anthony_Nysse]

A club can topdress all they like, but having the proper sand makes all the difference. A very rounded sand will never pack and will just make things mushy. Where I grew up, seems like the same sand was used in bunkers that was used for topdressing-a very dune like, rounded sand.


While more expensive, angler sand packs and locks together. All the sands now have difference names and go through testing to ensure they fit the require specifications. The numbers are different throughout the country- we use 302 and 304 sand here in FL. 35-65 sand is used in South Carolina. As long as it fits the specs. Sand just isn't sand.

[BCrosby]

... I would rather spend the money on using a vetidrain and followed by a good surfactant to help the wáter infiltrate and maintian a semi-dry surface.

Randy - What is a "vetidrain"?


Bob

[Randy Thompson]

A heavy duty aerfier that allows you to penétrate up to twelve inches. You can use a small solid or large solid tyme and there are tymes that exist for coring. You can change the angle of penetration to where it can produce a shattering effect in the soil base. The grass will cover the hole quickly but the hole remains helping wáter infiltrate and the added air helps dry out the surfaces faster.
Manufactured in Holland!
https://www.facebook.com/100011698935814/videos/vb.100011698935814/471122873287673/?type=2&theater

[BCrosby]

Thanks. Is it a new device?


Bob

[Randy Thompson]

Thanks. Is it a new device?


Bob

No, twenty or twenty five years I would guess!

[Dave McCollum]

Bob-- we're a low budget operation, yet use the vertidrain about every other year, almost always in the late summer or fall being very careful to allow enough good weather to allow the greens to heal before cold weather arrives.  We don't own the machine, so use a custom applicator.  Although expensive, It seems to work very well.  How can anyone be objective about their golf course?  My best effort would be to say our greens are good and mostly average speed.  We definitely ascribe to the theory that the greens are the face to a portrait of a course.   

[Adam Lawrence]

Bob, not that it makes a great deal of difference but just for clarity, Randy has misspelled 'vertidrain' 

[BCrosby]

Thanks Adam. I wondered about that.


Good to know about the vertidrain. New to me.



Bob

[Rory Connaughton]

We have been topdressing fairways for the last few seasons.  Combined with a dramatic reduction in fairway irrigation, we are seeing a difference.  Whether that would be the case with or without top dressing, I don't know but I suspect that it has helped.


What I do know is that we had record setting rainfall between mid June and the first week in September. The fairways never became saturated (outside of a few very low spots) as they had in the past.


The impact on playability, for our senior members especially, was very positive.

[Justin VanLanduit]

All items mentioned here if implemented together properly will get the desired conditions.  We have been on a heavy topdressing program at our club for the last 9 years that I've been Superintendent.  This includes greens, approaches, tees, and fairways.  The topdressing is most likely applied with some other cultural practice whether it be verticutting, brushing, needle tine aeration, hollow tine, deep tine whatever it may be.  I can say I've seen nothing but positive results from firmness to turf health.  Utilization of wetting agents/penetrants has also aided in firming surfaces up faster after rains, water is penetrating the surface at a faster rate; in part from the deeptine holes and the sand channels as well.  It's not the cheapest process but I see the long term effects and play ability is worth the expense. 
Tony is right regarding the type of sand.  Think about putting a bunch of marbles in a bag; they will never pack together and remain loose.  Think about putting broken glass; pieces eventually lock together and don't move as much.  That's sand.  If it's not right you will never firm up.
As for the mush comment; my guess is that the water isn't penetrating below the sand topdressing layer.  Rather it hits the native soil and then just sits in the sand layer resulting in soft, soggy conditions, as well as poor root structure.  Adding drainage or different aeration methods would help break that barrier and get water to penetrate through.

[RDecker]

Sand/soil types and organic matter present, type of fertility program, wetting agents, irrigation practices... these are all a factor in the maintenance mix at a club and one wrong choice can have a very large impact on whether or not you're getting the results desired.  Water pH and mowing practices, shade, infiltration rates... the list goes on and on.  If your clubs super seems to be missing the mark as to what the members are looking for then the USGA greens section and or a local lab can give you some good insights on how to go about reaching the desired goals.

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