The science behind great playing surfaces

Turfgrass research, field observations, and practical management advice, published continuously and archived for two decades.

Latest updates

Oct 25, 2026

Green firmness and topdressing sand coefficient of uniformity

The coefficient of uniformity (Cu) is a value that indicates how similar the particle sizes of a material are. If the Cu is a…
Oct 23, 2026

Organic material accumulation rate

We find it useful to calculate the accumulation rate of organic material for a few reasons. First, knowing the accumulation rate allows us to…
Oct 17, 2026 Members only

Photo of the week: elephant footprints

There is a real disease called elephant's footprint (caused by Rhizoctonia cerealis). That disease is almost exactly the size of a real elephant's footprint,…
Oct 15, 2026 Members only

Sand topdressing measurement

When insufficient sand is applied, the sward doesn't perform as desired. In fact, it may fail completely. When too much sand is applied, the…
Oct 13, 2026 Members only

Slides from Switzerland

The slides from my presentations at the Swiss Greenkeepers Association Autumn Meeting are available in this online handout. We talked about growth potential, MLSN,…