No More Chelford 28, What Next?

16 Mar 2015

Now that Chelford 28 sand has come to an end, what should you replace it with?

With the Chelford quarry closing at the end of next year some of the sand grades (Chelford 28) produced at the quarry are no longer being produced for use as a straight sand for the sports sector.

We along with Rufford have over the past months being doing compatibility work to find the best option for straight sand users. The results have clearly shown that Messingham 35 is the recommended grade to swap to from Chelford 28.

       

CH28 Sand                                   MS35 Sand

 

So Called CH28 Equivalent Sand

Rufford state:-

Sands from Chelford (CH28) and Messingham (MS35) meet the particle size distribution requirements for material suitable for USGA Golf Putting Green Construction.

Both sands have similar particle size distributions, combined with very low fines content, so there are no compatibility issues interchanging between grades.

Other advantages when using these two grades:

-       Washed and graded, free of silt/clay particles

-       Free draining (percolation rates above 700 mm/hr)

-       High silica content  with very few impurities (lime free)

-       Both have sub-rounded grain shape

-       Neutral or slightly acidic pH

 We have been coming across many so called "Compatible sands" which when compared to the above graphs are very different and would cause serious problems to any surface that they would be applied to.

This can be seen below:-

	Chelford 28	Messingham 35	Chelford 45	So called compatible sand
Fine Gravel	0	0	0	1.0
Very Coarse Sand	1.6	0.3	1.5	2.0
Coarse Sand	22.3	10.5	19.4	6.8
Medium Sand	72.7	83.3	63.1	57.1
Fine Sand	3.2	5.8	15.9	25.8
Very Fine Sand	0.2	0.1	0.1	7.3

 

The main problem above is that Chelford 28 is a Medium / Coarse dominated sand where as the compatible sand is Medium / Fine based. By using this you would be drastically changing the nature of  the green. Which could lead to capping of the surface and problems with drainage.

Rufford sands are produced to the highest quality and are backed by testing to produce the best available product. Please do not change sands without knowing the facts just because the local sand salesman has said it is compatible, ask for the proof!