TOPDRESSING SUITABILITY
Top Dressing: Coarse Top Dressing and Fine Top Dressing
The Sand is a medium sand with 97.7% particles within the USGA range of 1.0 to 0.15 mm for a topdressing sand. This is a very high percentage of particles within this range with a majority of the particles (68.4%) in the medium sand fraction range. The USGA has recognized for many years that the medium sand fraction is the best sand fraction for a topdressing sand. This topdressing sand has only 0.8% particles larger than 1.0 mm and only 1.5% “fines” (1.3% very fine sand, 0.1% silt, and 0.1% clay). This sand meets USGA particle size recommendations for a topdressing and rootzone mix (greensmix) sand.
The Topdressing Sand has a Coefficient of Uniformity (D60/D10) of 2.2, which is within the USGA recommended range of 2.0 – 3.5 for Pure Sand Rootzone Mixtures (USGA Recommendations for a Method of Putting Green Construction, 2018 Revision).
The Sand is a silica sand with a soil water pH of 6.0.
The Sand had a high water permeability rate of 56.3 in/hr. when compacted by the USGA procedure ASTM F1815 to simulate a compacted golf green. This is a high and very adequate rate for a topdressing sand. A topdressing sand should have a rate >20 in/hr. to allow for adequate drainage.
Conclusion: According to USGA guidelines for selecting a topdressing sand, this is an excellent topdressing sand. This topdressing sand is very compatible with any green that meets USGA particle size recommendations and will greatly benefit those greens that do not. This Sand also meets USGA recommendations for a greensmix sand for golf green construction.
Particle size distribution of Coarse Topdressing (YG3B)_Tifton Physical Soil Testing Lab_USGA
| 8#
2.36mm |
10#
2.0mm |
18#
1.0mm |
35#
0.5mm |
60#
0.25mm |
100#
0.15mm |
140-270#
0.15-0.05 |
Silt/Clay
<0.05mm |
|
| USGA Guideline | 0 | 0 | <5% | >35% | >40% | 8-13% | <1.5% | <0.5% |
| Coarse Topdressing YG3B | 0 | 0 | 2.7% | 40.8% | 46.4% | 8.3% | 1.0% | 0.8% |
Particle size distribution of Fine Topdressing (W#60)_Tifton Physical Soil Testing Lab_USGA
| 8#
2.36mm |
10#
2.0mm |
18#
1.0mm |
35#
0.5mm |
60#
0.25mm |
100#
0.15mm |
140-270#
0.15-0.05 |
Silt/Clay
<0.05mm |
|
| USGA Guideline | 0 | 0 | <5% | No limit | >60% | <17% | <3% | <0.5% |
| Fine Topdressing W#60 | 0 | 0 | 0.8% | 14.1% | 68.4% | 15.2% | 1.3% | 0.2% |
