Soft, spongy fairways are no fun for anyone. Golfers long for more bounce and roll, while superintendents work toward less localized dry spot, reduced mower scalping and decreased disease pressure. For many years now, a common recommendation to combat spongy conditions in fairways due to excess organic matter has been to regularly aerate and sand topdress. However, many courses can’t afford to buy hundreds of tons of sand to topdress fairways.
For most golf courses in Hawaii, this is the reality. You would think Hawaiian courses have all the sand they could possibly need at their fingertips. Unfortunately, this is not the case as they must import sand to use on their golf courses. Currently, the least expensive sand source is Vietnam. At well over $200 per ton, most courses can only afford enough sand to topdress greens and keep bunkers filled. Fairway and tee topdressing are out of the question. So, how can organic matter be managed in this scenario? One of the Hawaiian courses that I visit regularly has figured out a method that works well for them.
Every spring and fall, the maintenance team at Waialae Country Club fire up every aerator, verticutter and sweeper they own and get aggressive. Multiple passes with these machines hit every square foot of fairway more than once. The amount of material generated is impressive and takes many passes with the sweepers to clean up. When all the work is done, the finished look may scare some folks, but that’s when long-time superintendent Dave Nakama is most satisfied. He knows that he has just hit the reset button for the fairways. The bermudagrass heals within a few weeks and the end result is the dense, firm fairway conditions that Waialae members and the PGA Tour have come to expect.
If sand prices or budget limitations make organic matter management in fairways challenging at your course, you may want to consider the Waialae method. Keep in mind that turf type, weather, appetite for course disruption and equipment needs will all play a big role in the success of a strategy like this. For more information on large-scale organic matter management, reach out to your regional USGA agronomist.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, regional director – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, agronomist – cisom@usga.org