As many have commented, #12 fairway is not in keeping with the turf quality on the other holes. There are several reasons for this...one being a poor quality river sand that drains poorly and has poor nutrient holding capacity that the fairway is constructed of. Over the last 10 years, we've stepped up numerous practices to improve the fairway. Drill and fill aerification, aggressive hollow tine aerification and monthly fertilizer applications of Calcium and Potassium are a few examples. Our success has been minimal. When I use a soil probe to sample what is happening below the surface, it moves easily through the soil for 3" and then hits a hard pan layer. Simply put, the sand depth is too shallow in many areas of the fairway which keeps the root zone saturated. This is obvious by the sulfuric smell created by an anaerobic (no Oxygen) root zone below the surface.
In the meantime, I'm trying something new this season. We are making some topdressing applications using composted material as opposed to the traditional sand. While this contradicts everything I've ever learned about soil physics, what we've done over the last 3 years on the driving range tee, speaks for itself. Last Friday marked the first application.
The green committee is going to be studying ways to rectify the problem. I'll be presenting several solutions, non of which are inexpensive.
Finally, I'm occasionally asked, "why don't you simply re-sod the fairway?" I wish it was that simple. Resodding #12 fairway might result in a month of better playing conditions. If we don't correct the underlying problem, the initial turf quality will deteriorate quickly! The quality of the turf above ground, is a direct reflection of what is happening below the surface (roots).
