Golf course topdressing involved applying a mix of soil products or a surface a conditioner such as Profile™ Field and Fairway™ or Turface® MVP® top of the playing surface. Topdressing smoothes out the surface of the course. Sand is a common and inexpensive topdressing material.
Full Answer
What is topdressing sand used for on a golf course?
As you know, your golf course uses small quantities of topdressing sand that you apply to your golf course greens throughout the growing season. If you’re at a Southern golf course, you dust your putting greens throughout the entire year.
How do you Topdress a new golf green?
On new construction greens, Moore suggests topdressing with the exact same material the green was built with if possible. As the turf starts to produce excess organic matter, the switch can be made to straight sand if desired.
What is the best tool for topdressing putting greens?
When it comes to topdressing putting greens and other smaller areas, you want a topdressing tool that makes the process work seamlessly. Spyker’s Commercial Broadcast Spreader, the Mulch n’ Move, makes short work of topdressing jobs. Golf superintendents love the Mulch n’ Move.
When is the best time to topdress your golf course?
Most golf superintendents apply topdressing sand throughout the growing season before the golfers hit the greens. You may hear complaints about playing in a recently topdressed course, but in the long run, you’ll have healthier turfgrass. You’ll find the following benefits from topdressing during the spring, summer, and fall:
How often should you top dress greens?
For many years the standard practt ce has been to aerate and topdress twice a year, 'although many may aerate six time per year. Light frequent topdressing as a major component of the putting green management program has been practiced . on few courses.
What do golf courses use for top dressing?
Golf Courses – Top DressingSand is a common and inexpensive topdressing material. ... Calcined clay has the advantage of both internal pore space as well as bridge pore space between particles. ... The benefits of topdressing with a calcined clay include leaving channels in the filled aerification holes.
What does top dressing do to greens?
Topdressing improves putting greens smoothness, increases firmness and dilutes thatch. Thatch is a layer of dead and living plant material just below the turf surface.
How often do golf courses sand the greens?
every seven to 28 daysWithout regular sand topdressing and aeration, excess organic material will create soft, spongy putting surfaces that hold too much water. At most golf courses, topdressing sand is applied every seven to 28 days.
What's the best sand for top dressing lawn?
The best type of sand for topdressing is one with a medium particle size which is neither too fine nor too coarse. And it needs to be lime-free, so sea sand won't do. This type of topsoil is good for smoothing and levelling the lawn's surface and also helps improve soil composition.
Why do greenkeepers put sand on the greens?
"So in golf greens, grass creates a thatch layer through dead and decaying shoots and roots and old fibrous plant material. Greens can become really spongy through excess organic matter and by adding sand within that organic matter layer it dilutes it and is a way of firming up the greens.
Is it better to Verticut or aerate?
Core aeration is great for the lawn as it breaks up compaction and helps control thatch. It is not the best practice for seeding. If your main focus is to overseed then verticut as it provides for the best and most even seed bed. Core aeration can be used but verticutting is preferred.
What kind of sand is used on golf greens?
Of course the coarser the sand, the higher the infiltration rate and the finer the sand the lower the infiltration rate. An ideal sand for golf greens would have from 35% very coarse sand, 2025% coarse sand, 5055% medium sand, 2025% fine sand, and 2% very fine sand.
When Should I aerate my golf greens?
The most common time to aerify is late summer, and that's also widely thought to be the best time to aerate, agronomically speaking, because holes heal quickly, and greens have typically recovered before any late-summer or autumn golf tournaments.
Is silica sand good for top dressing?
Regardless of the selected topdressing program, silica sand is preferred because of its tolerance to weathering.
How long does it take for punched greens to heal?
The aeration holes are then filled with topdressing -- typically sand -- and usually hit with the sand a second time after the first filling settles into the core holes. It usually takes a golf course two weeks to recovery from properly done golf course aeration.
How do you put bumpy greens on putts?
__-- Play less break, and hit the putt firmer. __Slower, bumpy greens simply don't break as much because the ball is rolling faster through most of the putt. Putts that roll slower (like on faster greens) will break more because gravity can have more effect. -- Concentrate on hitting the putt solid.
What is topdressing in golf?
Topdressing smoothes out the surface of the course. More importantly, topdressing fills in aerification holes with amendments to keep channels open for air and water to penetrate to the root zone. Topdressing with calcined clay keeps surfaces drier during heavy rain events.
What is topdressing with calcined clay?
The benefits of topdressing with a calcined clay include leaving channels in the filled aerification holes. This permits an improved exchange of water and air at the root level. Promoting a deep, strong root structure, is necessary to handle the day-to-day use of golf course turf.
What are the benefits of topdressing greens?
Other benefits include: promoting upright growth, better water absorption, and modifying and building a healthy soil profile. In addition to smoothing the greens’ surfaces, topdressing creates a more consistent putting experience from green to green. There are many tips to consider when creating a topdressing program.
What is the goal of light topdressing?
A goal with a frequent light topdressing program is to keep the thatch layer from building up. By adjusting the amount of sand you are applying to the specific growth of the turf throughout the year, you will be more successful in keeping the thatch to manageable level.
How many times should you brush sand into a canopy?
After a light topdressing, brushing the sand into the canopy should only be done once. This means you should only pass over it once. The point is not to make the sand disappear. Rain and other factors will work the sand into the canopy. Avoid going over it multiple times especially when applying a light topdressing.
What percentage of sand should I use for greens?
Having to rebuild your greens down the road because of the insufficient sand will cost you. Make sure you’re in the right sand percentage range of 80 to 95 percent. Your particle range must also be between .15 to .75 millimeter in size. Typically if you have been using a sand for a long time and it works, don’t switch.
How to help stress on grass?
1. Beware of Stress. Topdressing is a method that can be part of a program to relieve stress situations on grass. However, topdressing can also add stress to already-stressed greens if done when those greens are already suffering.
Is it a good idea to topdress in the morning?
Topdressing the morning of a big tournament, or the day your boss is coming out to play is probably not a good idea . Although topdressing will improve play-ability and smooth out greens, this result doesn’t occur the same day of the topdressing.
Can you topdress greens?
This can be tricky so make sure the greens are healthy enough to handle a sanding and brushing. Excessively dry greens, greens suffering from heat stress, and greens infested or recovering from disease aren’t fit to be topdressed. Wait until you get them healthy enough to handle this cultural practice. 2.
What is topdressing in golf?
Topdressing is no exception. It’s a given a topdressing program should be tailored to meet the needs of a particular golf course. Most superintendents topdress with straight sand, but others topdress with a mix of sand and organic matter, be it mushroom soil or peat. Some even topdress with 100 percent peat.
How much topdressing sand is on old greens?
As a result, Moore says it’s not uncommon for members of the Green Section staff to see as much as six inches of topdressing sand built up during a 20-year period on top of older greens.
What is the issue with topdressing sand?
Size matters. Another issue with topdressing is the size of sand particles. When buying topdressing sand, superintendents need to know which size to buy, Moore says. Some superintendents buy sand that’s finer than the sand used to build the green.
What is Anderson's topdressing mix?
He avoids pure sand topdressing. The topdressing Anderson uses is a mix of sand (80 percent) and mushroom soil (20 percent), which has been screened and baked. (These mushrooms grow on horse manure, and after the mushrooms pull all of the nutrients out of the manure, they’re ground, baked and screened.)
How often does Anderson topdress?
Anderson topdresses the greens at Huntingdon Valley four times a year . The first thing he does in the spring is topdress with purchased material to protect the crowns going into the summer heat.
How much does Anderson pay for topdressing?
Anderson pays about $60 a ton for the topdressing – compared to $40 a ton for straight sand. Because of the topdressing Anderson uses, he is also able to use less water than other superintendents in the area, he says. He uses 7 million gallons of water between April and October on 27 holes.
What are the goals of topdressing?
However, there are some general topdressing goals no matter the type of green: • Prevent layering in the soil profile, whether it’s excess organic matter or layers of excess sand. • Improve drainage and root-zone aeration. • Encourage upright plant growth.
How to get rid of thatch on putting greens?
Thatch should be diluted with sand through practices like verticutting and sand topdressing to maintain good turf quality. Improved Turf Recovery – Occasional turf thinning can occur on putting greens. Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae.
Why is sand topdressing important?
Understanding the benefits of sand topdressing may help reduce golfer frustration when they see the “silver sheen” on greens during their next round of golf. The benefits of topdressing include: Improved Smoothness – Voids exist within the turf canopy between turfgrass leaves and stems, causing inconsistent ball roll.
Does sand topdressing help soil?
Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency. Improved Rootzone – Sand drains well and resists soil compaction. The accumulation of sand from multiple topdressings over many years can improve soil physical properties. The amount of sand applied depends on the time of year and growth rate ...
Why do I need topdressing sand for putting greens?
Topdressing sand increases the firmness of a putting green surface due to the “bridging” of sand particles within the turf canopy and layer of mat or thatch.
How to improve topdressing sand?
Techniques to improve the incorporation of topdressing sand include: Using dry sand. Drying the putting surface before applying the topdressing. Verticutting or grooming the putting surface before applying the topdressing. Applying the topdressing more frequently at lower application rates.
What size sand should I use for topdressing?
Many have adopted the strategy of selecting sand that contains no fine gravel (2 to 3.4 mm particle size diameter) or very coarse sand (1 to 2 mm) to improve incorporation of topdressing. More recently, some are selecting sands that do not contain coarse sand (0.5 to 1 mm), which further improves the ability to incorporate the topdressing, ...
What is topdressing sand?
The incorporation of topdressing sand into a turfgrass canopy is one of those practices where a gain in efficiency is beneficial. Significant time and other resources can be spent on managing the sand particles left on the putting surface after most of the topdressing is incorporated. These remnant particles are typically large (fine gravel, ...
