Ageing of a sand-based rootzone.

Successful construction of a golf green cannot be fully judged until some years after construction. Many problems first appear when the turf and the soil have been exposed to the stresses caused by players, maintenance and weather. It is therefore important to evaluate the development of different green constructions over a period of time. This project aims to investigate changes in different chemical, physical and biological soil parameters in a research green built in 1999 at Fullerö GK outside Västerås in central Sweden. It was built according to USGA recommendations and was subjected to six different treatments: three levels of organic matter content (2, 3 and 4% by weight) and two different types of organic amendment (fen peat and composted chicken manure mixed with sphagnum peat). Soil physical parameters (water holding capacity, porosity and bulk density) and chemical parameters (P-AL, K-AL, organic C and total N) were determined in the year of construction and soil biological activity was tested during the three first years. In 2004, before a reconstruction of the green, the same parameters were determined to enable a comparison and a development over time. In 2008 the samples will be analysed and the results will be evaluated.