Measuring Pitch Drainage
How to Measure Drainage As Part of a PQS Assessment
💡Assessing drainage is an essential part of Performance Quality Standards (PQS) because drainage has a major influence on pitch availability, player safety, and overall turf performance. While drainage assessment generally falls under Structural Quality, the effect of drainage on playability is also part of the wider Playing Quality picture.
How Drainage Is Assessed in PQS
Visual Assessment of Surface Water
🗝️ The simplest PQS check is observing how the pitch behaves after rainfall:
Is there standing water?
Do certain areas remain wet longer than others?
Is water draining evenly or collecting in depressions?
Standing water can flag the pitch as unsafe or unplayable and indicates deeper structural or maintenance issues.
Measuring Infiltration Rates
🗝️A Double Ring Infiltrometer (as pictured) is used in Performance Quality Standards (PQS) testing to measure the rate at which water infiltrates into the soil. This provides a clear, objective indication of how well a pitch drains, helping groundskeepers understand whether the soil profile can cope with rainfall and irrigation.
Testing Soil Moisture Levels
🗝️ PQS may include soil moisture tests using:
Moisture meters, or
Simple on-site observations (spongy surface, soft patches, saturated soil)
Consistent soil moisture levels across the pitch are a sign of good drainage and uniform soil structure.