Feature boom in construction of new golf courses with architects devising expensive and ingenious ways only added to the pressure on books . Selling expensive membership to offset the financial burden brought in newer demands and specially the one for making it all yearround activity with similar turf conditions . The cultivation practice of top dressing changed dramatically and much more than any other practice .
Levelling and Topdressing
Topdressing is the best way of levelling putting greens and other playing surfaces ( cricket , tennis etc .). Methods such as rolling have limitations as they need absolutely uniform soil surfaces to be really effective as patches of drier soils in between can cause ridging which is undesirable . This problem is taken care off , to a reasonable extent , in sand-based greens . Levelling of putting greens through topdressing also facilitates close mowing , drains the surface better and improves the turf by building better root zones .
Topdressing Material is Sport Specific
Topdressing is the best practice for levelling any sport surfaces such as Cricket , Tennis , and Lawn Bowling etc . The material though will differ and should be chosen after considering the requirement of the specific sport . In Cricket and Tennis for example , the ball has to bounce and that too truly which is not the desired outcome in golf . The topdressing material in those sports will require much more silt and clay to have firm and bouncy surface . A lack of understanding about the requirement of specific sport led to a blunder in the aeration and top dressing of
Sand is a depleting resource and it ’ s availability will diminish . Prices will rise and topdressing will need extreme judiciousness . an international cricket pitch few years ago . The process employed was suitable for golf but created a disastrous cricket pitch leading to abandonment of games for a while . Requirement of drainage which is less critical in some sports also will determine the quantity of sand or clay in the topdressing mixture .
Topdressing Mixture – Sand is the Major Constituent
Topdressing material for golf should primarily comprise sand and in correct sizes and shapes . Ideally the sand should neither be very coarse nor very fine as it has the following disadvantages -
( a ) Very coarse sand contains large particles ( more than 1 mm diameter ) which do not get absorbed easily and cause damage to mowing machines and ruins their blades .
( b ) Very fine sand ( less than 0.125 mm in diameter ) gets absorbed quickly but is harmful to surface drainage as it will flow and accumulate in the channels . They can also lodge themselves in the pores of clay soils and cause clogging to reduce the porosity for both air and water .
Ideally , the mixture must have about 80 % of particles to be between 0.25 to0.7m mm in diameter .
Shape of the sand particles is as important as the size . Water can permeate and roots can grow only if they find spaces in between particles and semi rounded shapes provide the best space between particles . Absolutely rounded or spherical particles on the other hand would not settle and create unstable surface . Sand comprising angular particles would be at the other end of the spectrum and would lock together to block all spaces to become impermeable .
Sand should be free of lime to prevent alkalinity and should be washed free of clay and silt for providing a good topsoil coverage .
Clay or Silt
A small percentage ( 3 to 5 %) of silt or clay is permissible as it will provide some adhesion . It should not exceed such percentages unless the requirement is for surfaces needing bounce ( such as cricket pitches ). Golf turf requires drainage and porosity which will be compromised by clay or silt .
Humus
Humus is added by finely milling easily available organic material and must be easily wettable ( nonhydrophobic ) so that it retains moisture . The material should not be decaying quickly as the release of nutrients would then be irregular and moisture retention will also suffer .
The humus also acts as a binding material and quick decomposition will make the surface prone to aberrations . Humus is best added by weight in the proportion of 3 % to 5 % but many courses find it difficult and a rough guide of 20 % by volume can also be used . It ’ s obvious that with the spotlight on golf courses for their negative impact on environment , the humus would have to come from recycled organic wastes in the future .
A Crystal Ball
Top dressing will continue to be a very important cultivation practice for the golf courses to level the putting surfaces , provide healthier turf of desired grasses and to control thatch . Building of expensive courses and sale of expensive memberships to recover costs will make it necessary for the golf courses to strive to provide similar conditions throughout the year . New class of members joining mistakenly for networking or to look socially fashionable will generate demands for colour rather than healthy turf . All this will require turf to be top dressed even more frequently . It ’ s almost certain ( unless popularity of the sport declines ) that top dressing materials will be available in premixed form through commercial sources and the costs will only increase with sand becoming a limitedly available commodity .
GolfPlus MARCH 2021 45