Golf Course Performance Standards (D) 
13) Infiltration rate: the removal of water from the surface increases the likelihood of a game being played.
High sand specification greens will typically have a minimum rate of 100-150mm per hour, although in practice this can be higher.
Sandy soil-based greens might aim for a minimum of 20mm per hour, whilst general quality greens a figure of no less than 6mm per hour might be acceptable.
The rate of percolation is also important because whilst the initial infiltration into the surface might be satisfactory, if the rootzone has a compaction layer in the soil profile then the water won’t be transmitted very far and gradually the soil pores will fill up with water resulting in a waterlogged green, and this will be particularly problematic where an undesirable thickness of thatch is also present.
Golf tees might have a minimum infiltration rate 25mm per hour, down to at least 6mm per hour, whilst fairways will mostly be dependent on the native soil, with possible figures being a minimum of 12mm per hour, down to no less than 4mm per hour, the latter being on heavier parkland courses.
Puddles and waterlogged areas of a fairway are not desirable, however, on some courses built on heavier soils this may be expected at certain times of the year in defined locations, so realistic parameters should be considered for those areas.
Drainage works will improve these areas, but the cost does need to be weighed against the benefits as spending maybe £20,000 to improve a small area which is only undesirable for say typically 7 days of a year may not be a cost-effective approach and those monies can be more wisely spent elsewhere or saved.
14) Fine particles (i.e. <0.125mm): There is little that can be done with an existing soil texture in practice, unless excessive cost is to be incurred.
So, whilst parameters might be given, any weighting used for an overall quality assessment might be low as this is outside the control of a course manager. However, most greens will have been constructed with a relatively free-draining sandy material, but this can still contain a relatively high percentage of fines.
Tees may have used existing native soil, as will fairways. For an existing and established surface a figure of no more than 30% fines might be desired, especially considering that a sandy loam in the UK Soil Textural Triangle will contain from 50% to 70% sand, and 30% to 50% silt and clay. For a high specification sand based or sand dominated rootzone this might be a maximum of 10%.
15) Soil pH: Changing the pH of a rootzone in any significant way is usually impractical. However, the vast majority of soils will typically be within the range of pH 5.0-7.0 which provides conditions that could range from ideal (pH 5.0-6.0), to satisfactory (pH 6.0-7.0) for a browntop bent and red fescue dominated sward.
Very acidic soils of pH 4.5-5.0 can still produce excellent surfaces, although these conditions need to be managed carefully.
Where perennial ryegrass is being used within a tee or fairway then the soil pH would typically be given as pH 6.0-7.0 for optimum performance, although the less acidic the soil the more competitive annual meadow grass becomes, so there is a direct and introduced problem which can arise by including perennial ryegrass within a golf sward where the soil pH is suitable for that species.
Knowing the soil pH and especially that of any applied top-dressings can help inform on the fertiliser programme, likelihood of earthworm surface activity, as well as the quality expectations from a surface.
16) Nutrient levels: This is usually identified as Phosphate (P2O5) and Potash (K2O) and measured using the Defra Index scale. The ADHB Nutrient Management Guide (RB209, updated March 2022, p25) states that “Typically, maximum yield of arable crops or grass is reached at Index 2 for phosphorus and Index 2- for potassium.”
Fertilisers are then applied to ensure the Index is maintained at that level.
Similar Index figures might be typically used for golf surfaces to ensure that these nutrients are essentially always available. However, the likelihood is that an Index 1 could be quite adequate for general maintenance purposes.
The aim of maximum yield (i.e. leaf growth) is certainly not a requirement for golf, in fact this is the opposite of what is required, ideally availability which encourages healthy development in contrast to maximum growth which, when combined with nitrogen inputs, will require unnecessary and time consuming mowing.
Relatively high levels of phosphate will also encourage clover and annual meadow in particular, with high levels of any nutrient acting as a resource for weeds and undesirable grasses.