Topdressing

Also: sand topdressing

Spreading a thin layer of sand (or a sand-soil mix) over the turf to smooth the surface and dilute accumulating thatch.

Light and frequent beats heavy and rare for putting surfaces — a dusting every week or two keeps the organic layer diluted without ever taking the green out of play. Heavy topdressing belongs with aerification, when the holes need filling anyway.

The material has to be compatible with what's already in the root zone. Introducing a sand with a different particle size creates a layer, and layers are where water stops moving.

Fairway is built by people who had to learn all of this.

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