Top-Dressing

I was visiting a golf course the other day that had just started to top-dress when a member came up to me said “I hate when they do this but we do have the best greens in town”. He told me that just three years ago the greens were puffy, slow, grainy, and had diseases all the time, but now they were perfect. He commented, three years ago the course did top-dressing once or twice a year, but now they lightly top-dress every two weeks and fairways three times a year. I was impressed about how much the member was actually watching the course, but come to find out he lived next to that green and watched out his window at the daily operations. I explained to him why they top-dress and that some courses are starting to eliminate topdressing due to budget cut backs in these hard times. He said they need to come sit on his back patio to see the difference.

Top-dressing
Smooth the playing surface
Protects the crown of the plant
Tighter, Finer, Upright turf to compete against poa-annua
Removes grain on older bent / poa greens
Thatch control
Less disease
Better water and Fertilizer infiltration
Alleviates Compaction
Protects against winter kill

Over the last six months I have visited several courses who have told me that they were going to eliminate their top-dressing program to cash flow.

Do the benefits out weight the price?
How often do you top-dress at your course?
Do you top-dress fairways?
Do you top-dress going into winter to protect against winter kill?
Can you tell the difference in your greens?