Why do Greenkeepers Top Dress?

Top dressing greens with sand helps improve their overall health and performance by: 

• Smoothing the surface: Filling voids between the turf grass leaves and stems helps ensure a smoother and truer putt. 

  
  
  
  

• Diluting thatch: The layer of organic debris, stems, crowns, and roots in the upper root zone can be diluted with sand to prevent mower scalping and dry spots. 

  
  
  
  

• Improving turf recovery: Sand can help cushion leaf tips and crowns, and reduce algae. 

  
  
  
  

• Increasing firmness: Regular top dressing can improve surface firmness and resiliency. 

  
  
  
  

• Improving the root zone: Sand drains well and resists soil compaction. 

  
  
  
  

• Preventing thatch build up: Top dressing creates a more favourable environment for microorganisms that help prevent thatch build up. 

  
  
  
  

• Prolonging aeration: Top dressing physically prevents hole closure, which prolongs the effects of aeration. 

  
  
  
  

Top dressing is best done during the growing season, typically in late Spring or early Summer or early Autumn. However, with milder Winters it is possible to lightly top dress throughout the year.