One of our summer maintenance practices is using the Wiedenmann Super 600 with the fraze mower configuration. This machine is excellent for removing “turtle backs” and high spots and is highly effective at thatch removal (we also fraze our fairways). For our range tees, we perform this process 3-4 times a year to prevent uneven surfaces from frequent topdressing.
I saw a thread discussing level tees and some misconceptions, so I thought I’d share some insights. Tees are typically built with a 1% slope to manage heavy rainfall effectively. Since tees often have heavier soils, water infiltration and percolation rates can be low—hence the 1% slope for surface drainage. Renovating a tee can be costly, but a machine like the Super 600 offers a faster and more affordable alternative, with the added benefits of verti-cutting and vacuuming.
@Reece
The OP can correct me if I’m wrong, but I would guess that tees that out of whack need an entire redo, not just cutting off the top like this machine is doing. Tees you describe are the real problem.
@Campbell
I can do roughly .5-inch increments here… on a tee like you’re describing, I would isolate the problem area and fraze it for 3-4 weeks, then start doing the entire tee. I think we could make it work, given time to do it… the machines we have access to these days kind of put the nuclear option down at option 3 or 4.
@Reece
These machines (fraze mowers, field top makers) actually came to the industry from athletic fields where they were used to do exactly that: remove the top 3-6 inches of turf and soil to get back to a level start. Typically, they would then be resodded or topdressed and fertilized for regrowth. For warm season grass like bermudagrass, the roots can absolutely be that deep; I have some roots in my bermudagrass fairways going down as far as 8 inches.
Reece said: @Rain
I wish they were used more, but I’m sure they’re expensive as hell. I didn’t realize grass roots could go down that deep, let alone survive if they’re topped off like that.
Cool season grass like bentgrass, poa, or ryegrass wouldn’t survive this. But warm-season grass has a different kind of root system called rhizomes, which are basically underground stems that will shoot out new leaf blades as soon as they’re exposed to sun and nutrients.
@Reece
Playing devil’s advocate here, but technically a spine in the middle can accommodate all slope preferences.
Stand on the downslope and help a fade. Vice versa for the draw; just stand with your feet on one side of the mound and the ball on the other for an even lie.
@Campbell
This is a sterile vegetative hybrid bermudagrass, so there is no seed for it… with that said, we have enough material leftover that it recovers in roughly 7-10 days depending on how aggressive we get (see pic with numbered strips - all strips recovered on their own)
Had an old timer as greens keeper many years ago who did this manually. He would cut and roll the sod, level the dirt, and then put the sod back in place. He could do a tee box in one day, and you could play off it the next day.
@Clay
Very viable option…could probably use a crew of guys and a skid steer with a laser-controlled box blade and knock out multiple holes in a day and be done by week’s end.
You say tees are usually built with a 1% slope, is that generally in a certain direction such as towards the front/back of the tee, or does it depend on which direction is best for drainage on that specific tee?
@Blake
Good course design is to build them with slope from the middle to the sides. I guess not ‘good’ per se, but some of those sloped tees that people complain about are purposefully that way by design.
I like the help in shot shaping. Pick the side that suits the tee shot and let it fly.
@Blake
Not OP, but it depends on surrounding drainage/swales where you want the water to go. Typically you’ll slope it back and to one side of the green, except for par 3s where it should slope to the front.
Ben said: @Peyton
Why do you need to topdress? Certainly a good practice, but I’ve done countless aerifications without topdressing (non-putting green areas).
I’ve only ever worked with bentgrass on tee decks, and bent always required top dressing.
