By Keith McIntyre

Keith McIntyre has a BSc. Hons. From the University of New England and a MSc. from the Australian National University and has 30 years experience in sportsturf. He was at the city Park’s Technical Services Unit (TSU) in Canberra, a specialist group working in the technical management of open space, from 1977 to 1995. Keith headed up the group working in turf management soils, drainage and irrigation. He is now a turf management consultant. TSU built up a reputation for excellence in cool season turf management and irrigation but its most important contribution was in the field of sportsground construction, soils and drainage.

Methods for testing sportsturf soils were also developed there, with the most significant being testing for sand profiles.

Keith, Dr Bent Jakobsen and Peter Semos developed sand profile designs which have been highly successful in 17 of Australia’s stadiums from Cains to Melbourne. Some of these facilities are now over 15 years old and the profiles are still functioning as well as the day they were constructed.

This perched water table sand profile technology has been used extensively for the successful construction of golf greens in many areas of Australia. These profiles are based on the USGA specifications, with two major differences. The depth of the top sand layer is always less than 300mm, and the suction of the gravel layer is used to determine the depth of sand in each use.


Keith has written several other books :- Drainage for Sportsturf & Horticulture; Cricket Wickets – Science v Fiction; and Problem Solving for Golf Courses, and the Landscape, Sportsturf and Racecourse

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