Heavy traffic Areas - A new approach

      Through the years we have struggled to maintain high traffic areas. We have tried all the typical methods, signs, ropes and stakes, but they seem to just compound the problem. These methods deter driving over a worn area only to direct traffic to nearby stands of good grass. The end result is two large areas of matted and worn turf. No matter what method of traffic direction we use it seems to always result in the same outcome, the eventual resodding.
      The annual sodding is costly, time consuming and labor intensive. Especially when we seem to resod the same areas every year. The tedious work and money have caused us to search for other more effective ways to combat heavy traffic areas. Our search led us to crumb rubber. Below is a close-up picture of crumb rubber.

      Crumb rubber is recycled rubber from automotive tires. The tires are ground up removing the steel materials and reducing it to a granular form. The crushed rubber is then passed through sieves to separate the sizing and consistency for each desired use. The largest use for crumb rubber is rubber asphalt used in road construction. Other uses include under playground equipment and as a surface material for running tracks and athletic fields.**

      Our use for crumb rubber is exclusively for high traffic areas. Below is one of the common worn turfgrass areas at the Players Club.



PC #18 between the fairways bunkers near the green.

      We have applied crumb rubber to several high traffic areas at the Players Club, including all of our collars. The goal is to incorporate the rubber into the soil structure directly below the surface. The rubber will provide the turf with increased resiliency, decreased soil compaction and improved drainage. An added benefit of the crumb rubber is its color and ability to absorb heat. The increased heat absorption will allow the bermudagrass to maintain its vigor longer in the fall and return from dormancy earlier in the spring. Below is a picture of the crumb rubber immediately after application.

      We plan to monitor the areas that we applied the crumb rubber closely through the winter and into the spring.  As of now we are seeing the benefits in the color retention of the turf versus this time last year. The green color is a testament to the increased temperatures as a result of the black rubber beneath.  The benefits of decreased compaction will be noticed in the spring as the turf returns from dormancy. We anticipate moderate to good success with this program and hope to be able to apply the crumb rubber to high traffic areas at all the golf courses.

**