Laytonsville #3 green drainage project

For any of you who have played Laytonsville after it has rained, you no doubt have experienced how wet and spongy #3 green is.  Superintendent Galen Evans and his great team have recently undertaken a major renovation to this green to help solve the drainage problem that existed.

As you can see from the above photo, there is a distinct layer that exists from when the green was constructed nearly 40 years ago.  This layer is the primary cause of the lack of water infiltration into the green.  You can also see throughout the profile numerous sand channels that are the result of core aeration.  In this green, however, continued aeration is just not enough to ameliorate the significant layering problem, and it was time for more drastic measures.

  After sod was stripped for the trencher, drain lines were carefully excavated, making sure spoils stayed on plywood to keep the surface of the green clean.

 2-inch drain pipe was installed after the proper slope was achieved at the bottom of the trenches....

 and the greens mix was added and tamped back into place...

Finally the pieces of sod were placed back in the exact order they were removed. Once the green is completely cleaned off of debris, it was rolled repeatedly to return the surface to its original condition for playability.


Drains were installed every 6 feet, about 18 inches deep across the green and back-filled with a mixture of 60% sand, 20% peat and 20% topsoil.  This mixture is a good recipe for allowing water to percolate down to the drain lines, and also having the ability to hold enough water and nutrients to maintain healthy turf.

Jon Lobenstine
Director of Agronomy