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Golf Course Management • October 1998 101

Changes in topdressing techniques have prompted manufac-turers to offer practical, quick and consistent machines.

Y POINTS

• In the past few years, superin-tendents have recognized thebenefits of topdressing lightlyand frequently.

• Those who topdress fairwayssay it allows for longer playa-bility, smoother fairways, win-ter mowing and possibly adeeper root system.Drawbacks may include addedcost, damage to mowers andperiodically raising the heightof irrigation heads.

• Composted grass clippingsand other organic bypro ductsused as topdressing may savemoney while improving turfestablishment, density andcolor .

• Crumb rubber topdressingmay help improve turf's wearresistance by forming a layerthat protects the crownagainst heavy traffic.

• New methods and materialsfor topdressing have drivenmanufacturers to developfaster, more efficient machineswith larger capacities.

Laura Wissman

continued

«Demonstrate, demonstrate, demon-strate" is the advice Larry Gilhuly, direc-tor of the USGA Green SectionNorthwest region, gives to turf managersinterested in buying new equipment.

"Don't buy on advice; get the unit toyour course:' he says. And if you'reshopping for a new topdresser, Gilhulyrecommends you look for consistencyand the ability to get the job done fast.

Fifteen years ago, superintendents top-dressed greens two to three times a yearwith small, labor-intensive equipment.

Monte Stevenson, CGCS at IndianPeaks Golf Course in Lafayette, Colo.,remembers years ago when he top-dressed only in the spring and fall .«Your crown was buried, and a lot ofhorizontal growth developed," says the12-year GCSAA member.

Now he topdresses every two to threeweeks, «according to the rate of turfgrowth to keep the crown of the grass ata level soil profile:' he explains.

Some superintendents may apply alight coating of topdressing material asoften as every week, driving manufactur-ers to create larger-capacity equipmentdesigned for speed and efficiency. Theselarger-capacity topdressers have not onlyeased the time and labor requirements offrequent application, but also made fair-way topdressing possible.

topdressers

Spin spreaders permit fairway topdressing to be accomplished in less time.

(;ontinucd from p. 101

On the fairwaysAt GCSAA's 1983 conference and

show in Atlanta when GeorgeBannerman addressed the advantages oftopdressing fairways, many superinten-dents scoffed at the idea. Today, fairwaytopdressing is standard practice at golfcourses around the world.

Advocates say fairway topdressingallows for longer playability, smootherfairways and easier winter mowing ..Some superintendents also believe thatfairway topdressing creates a deeperroot system, Gilhuly says.

"But it's not for everyone:' he adds.Topdressing fairways is costly, it maydamage your mowers and it requiresperiodically raising the height of irriga-tion heads. «If you have good-drainingsoil that responds well to aeration, thendon't do it," Gilhuly says. Fairway top-dressing is practiced primarily in thePacific Northwest, where the soil is heavyin clay. But it's also valuable in areas thathave caliche soil or a high water table.

Marvin Andrews, superintendent atIsleta Eagle Golf Course in Albuquerque,N.M., and an II-year GCSAA member,top dresses his fairways in the fall afteraerification. "We started topdressing the

fairways on the lower holes (the coursehas a 100-foot elevation difference) towork the sand in the caliche clay:' he says.«It helps the soil drain better and gives itmore pore space."

Gilhuly predicts that spin spreaderswill eventually replace fairway dropspreaders. «They can topdress nineholes in a day:' he says, «But most spin-

ners only spread %-inch of materia!."Versatility is another. component

Gilhuly suggests superintendents shopfor when choosing a topdresser. Mosttop dressers will perform a variety of taskswith a diverse assortment of material.

Recycled materialWith landfill space diminishing,

waste disposal becoming more expen-sive and superintendents continuallyemphasizing environmental steward-ship, two new topdressing materials -compost and crumb rubber - havegained popularity.

Superintendents who process grassclippings and other organic byproductsinto topdressing material say theyare saving money while improvingturf establishment, density and color.Paul R. Latshaw, superintendent atCongressional Country Club inBethesda, Md., uses grass clippings inthe deep rough and wooded areas pri-marily to save dumping costs. The 32-year GCSAA member estimates he saves$380 a week.

Michael Swing, CGCS at Seven OaksCountry Club in Bakersfield, Calif., and

Experts recommend that superintendents choose versatile topdressers. Most machines willperform several tasks with a wide variety of material.

102 Golf Course Management • October 1998

continued on p. 104

topdresserscontinued from p. 102

a 20-year GCSAA member, mixes hisclippings with spent flowers, leaves andchippings for organic fertilizer. "Thenature of our soil is very sandy, and thebiological activity of compost gives thesoil more life;' he says.

Swing says he uses 80 percent of thecompost as a cover when overseedingtees. The rest is used to add heat to thebermudagrass in the spring and to fer-tilize oak trees, or is mixed with sand tomend tee divots.

Latshaw tried compost made ofbrewer's yeast and woodchips one win-ter and says he was truly amazed at howmuch greener and healthier the turfbecame in just one application. He hasalso used crumb rubber in his turfmaintenance program.

Those who've used crumb rubber sayit produces wear resistant turf by form-ing a layer that protects the crownagainst heavy traffic. "I treated a lot ofareas at Congressional - around thegreens, between the bunkers andaround car paths, wherever there's hightraffic;' Latshaw says. "It's a good tooL"

Stevenson first tested crumb rubberin the fall of 1996. He says the areatreated with crumb rubber was the onlyone that stayed green through the win-ter. Crumb rubber also helped his trou-bled spots do well in the extreme heat ofsummer. Now he uses approximately 12tons of the material a year.

"Members responded favorably," hesaid. "They noticed the green at theend of the car path and liked the recy-cling aspects."

Stevenson suggests that turf man-agers interested in using crumb rubberrun a pilot program to make sure itworks on site and in their climates. Healso recommends involving the generalmanager and members. "Most of all,take lots of pictures;' he says.

Gilhuly adds that to use the crumbrubber topdressing material success-fully, turf must be growing actively, andthree applications of ~ inch are needed."And if it's wet, forget it," he says. "Onetrick that worked in the Southeast was

topdressing sod with crumb rubber in anursery, later moving it to the troublespots and protecting it for a few weeks."

With the demands of to day's high-pressure golf world, both superinten-dents and manufacturers must keep upwith all the tricks and trends in the golfcourse maintenance industry. Expertsrecommend testing every product toensure manufacturers' solutions don'tend up in your equipment graveyard.

Topdresser roundupThe following section includes

descriptions of various top dresser prod-uct lines. GeM attempted to contact asmany manufacturers as possible. Thosewho responded to the product query intime to meet the deadline are included.

The Cushman TC 2000, fromTextron Turf Care and SpecialtyProducts, a fifth-wheel topdresser, is bigenough to cover large areas quickly andlight enough to use on greens, the com-pany says. Its hopper can hold up to2,500 pounds of material and exerts 12psi of ground pressure. A hydraulicmotor powers a conveyor that feedsmaterial through a rotating brush. Theaddition of the Turf- Truckster's groundspeed governor will add a spreadingthickness over a 60-inch swath.

M ..... :::- -- - • ~ •• '

Photo courtesy of Textron Turf Care and Specialty Products

The Cushman line also offers the TD1500, which mounts on a Turf-Truckster. The company says the tex-tured surface design of the conveyor beltdistributes materials evenly for maxi-mum effect on greens and fairways. Ithas a 1,900-pound hopper capacity, 60-inch spread width and an auxiliaryhydraulic control that is operated from

the driver's seat of the Turf- Truckster.The latest generation of Vicon

spreaders includes hopper capacitiesfrom 600 to 1650 liters (approximately545-1,500 pounds). A working width of12 meters (approximately 40 feet) canbe increased to 15 meters (approxi-mately 50 feet) and even 18 meters(approximately 60 feet) by adding twodeflector plates and a special spoutband. The pendulum movement of thespout ensures the application rate isalways identical on both sides, the com-pany says. A plastic scale allows contin-uous application adjustments and anagitator ensures an even material feed tothe spreading unit.

Earth & Turf Products offers threemodels of top dressers for spreading dry

Photo courtesy of Earth & Turf Products

materials. The Scoop & Spread loads itsown material by hydraulically tiltingthe hopper downward to a loadingposition and backing the unit into thetopdressing. It has a hopper capacity of15 cubic feet and a 51-inch spreadwidth. The Scoop & Spread has aground-drive system.

According to the company, the 36-Dand 54-D are pull-behind units thathave adjustable flow rates and are ableto handle variable particle sizes. The 36-D has an ll-cubic-foot capacity and a36-inch spreading width. The 54-D hasa 16.9-cubic-foot capacity and a 36-inchspread width. Both are ground driven.

Dakota Peat Equipment offers twotop dressers with spinner attachmentsthat spread material 6-36 feet. The

continued on p. 106

104 Golf Cou~se Management • October 1998

topdressers

Photo courtesy of Dakota Peat Equipment

continued from p. 104

Dakota Turf Tender 440 and Turf Tender420 are designed to handle and spreadmost material, from grass seed and fertil-izer to landscape rock or wood chips, thecompany says. Both machines featurebucket belting, hydraulic swing-awayconveyor, electric vibrator and front-unloading hopper conveyors. The 440(4.2-cubic-yard capacity) and the 420 (2-cubic-yard capacity) have hydraulic drivesystems. Dakota also offers a 220 PTO-driven combined blender/top dresser.

The Millcreek Manufacturing top-dresser/spreader was originally designed to

Photo courtesy of Millcreek Manufacturing

disperse collected grass clippings in roughsand out-of-bounds areas. It's now used onfairways for application of compost andtopdressing mixtures. Because of theaggressive spreading action, the companysays that materials with varying particlesizes are less likely to clog and clump. Therapidly rotating brush breaks clumpymaterial into smaller particle sizes. TheMillcreek machine comes in three sizes: a1.5-cubic-yard capacity, a 2-cubic-yardcapacity and a 4-cubic-yard capacity. It hasan adjustable spreading width of 3-10 feet.

Befco Inc!s power bed and spreaderfor the 1800 utility vehicle are capable oflaying down a %-inch-deep covering ina single 14-foot-wide swath, the com-pany says. The spreader features a 13.92-cubic-foot hopper capacity, 20- to 66-foot spread width and a rear uniflowshield to guard against material buildupand spillage.

The Jacobson line from TextronTurf Care and Specialty Products offersa choice of two sizes of top dressers to be

Photo courtesy of Textron Turf Care and Specialty Products

mounted on the Jacobsen SV (systemvehicle). The 18-cubic-foot hopper andthe 11.5-cubic-foot model both have achevron-pattern belt to provide consis-tent delivery of wet or dry material.Because material is spread outside theSV's wheel track, it's easier to overlapwithout driving over fresh topdressing.The top dresser is hydraulically con-trolled from the SV.

Photo courtesy of Turfco Manufacturing

The newest additions to the TurfcoManufacturing topdresser line are theLA4MH and the SP1530.

The LA4MH is both a large area top-

dresser and a material handler. It has a4-cubic-yard capacity and a walkingbeam suspension. It also has twin spin-ners with a spread width of 14-40 feet.The spinners can be angled up anddown, aiding in their ability to drivetopdressing into the turf. The LA4MHcan also load other topdressers andmove material for bunker renovationsor construction. The Mete-R-Matic III,LA4 tow-type, truck-mounted and self-propelled top dressers feature anadjustable metering gate to control theflow of material as well as a high-speedrotating brush and a heavy-dutychevron -surface conveyor belt.

The SP1530 is a broadcast topdresserdesigned to also load from the side witha front-end loader. A belt carries thematerial back to the twin spinners thatpropel the topdressing material 15-30feet. The spinners can tilt up and down,allowing the machine to drive the top-dressing into the turf to reduce drag-ging, the company says.

Bannerman Ltd.'s Turf Topper andSuper Topper feature the contra-rotationspreader cylinder with small steel paddlesthat turn upward through the dressingmaterial to grind lumps. A conveyorfloor, powered by the tractor hydraulics,consists of a reinforced self-aligning con-tinuous mat. The Super Topper has a 7.5-cubic-yard capacity and a 78-inchspreading width. The Turf Topper has a3- to 4-cubic-yard capacity and a spread-ing width of 58 inches. Both top dressersare fitted with large floatation tires forminimum ground compaction

Ty-Crop Turf Equipment Inc!s mostrecent addition, the Quick-Pass 270, hasthree attachment options - a twinspinner attachment and two brushattachments. The power brush isdesigned for traditional drop-style top-dressing and the vortex brush isdesigned for applying a light dustingof material.

The TD-460 has a 72-inch spreadingwidth, a spreading depth from Yl6 inch

continued on p. 108

106 Golf Course Management • October 1998

topdressersment spreads material 15-40 feet, the com-pany says the average fairway can be com-pletely top dressed in less than an hour.

The Toro Co!s Toro 5000 also has aspinner disc. An 8-hp Briggs & Strattonengine powers a 13-inch-diameter spin-ner assembly capable of spreadingmaterial up to 15 feet, the company says.It has a 50-cubic-foot capacity and anadjustable flow rate.

Photo courtesy of Ty-Crop Turf Equipment Inc.

continued from p. 106

to several inches and a capacity from 4yards of heavy material to 7 yards oflightweight material.

The MH-400 features a 4-cubic-yardcapacity, an adjustable tailgate for bulkunloading and a back end that can beraised up to 72 inches for loading intogreens top dressers, utility vehicles andspreaders. Because the twin spinner attach-

Photo courtesy of The Toro Co.

The 23.5-cubic-foot Toro Topdresser2300 uses a high -speed brush for evenapplication (light to heavy) from end toend of its 60-inch spread width, thecompany says. The unit is mounted on atrailer and is towed by a utility vehicle.

Another tow-behind unit, the PA-l?,features pendulum spreading action toevenly spread topdressing material up to20 feet, and fertilizers, seed or lime any-where from 15-60 feet, the companysays. Its capacity is 17.1 cubic feet.

The Toro Topdresser 1800 mountson the bed of a utility vehicle. It hasan 18-cubic-foot capacity, a meter-ing gate, a high-speed brush and a 60-inch swath. !IIlJ

Laura Wissman is a former GCSAA intern from theschool of journalism at the University of Kansas inLawrence, Kan.

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108 Golf Course Management • October 1998