Waterlogged lawns are often due to the formation of a sticky, glue like layer of puddled soil near the surface. Walking on the soil when it is wet causes this. Prolonged use of lawns leads to compacted surface layers that drain slowly, making lawns stay wet longer and become more at risk of puddling.
Pricking or slitting the surface can save puddled lawns. Although shallow (2-3cm/1in) pricking or slitting helps, deeper spiking with specially designed tools that leave a hole 10-15cm (4-6in) deep is better. These holes can be filled with a free draining material, proprietary lawn top dressings or horticultural sand for example, that allows water to flow from the surface to deeper less compacted layers. The spaces left by the water are filled with air that is accessible by the roots.
Hand tools are available for the purpose; an ordinary garden fork can be used as well. Alternatively, for larger lawns use powered tools. Perhaps the most useful tools use a hollow spike to remove a plug of soil that is then swept up and removed.
Autumn spiking is more effective than spring treatments and done every few years, will prevent the need for emergency action after wet winters. Autumn lawn feeds, rich in phosphorus, promote good root growth.
Wet soils and dead patches allow mosses to thrive in lawns over the winter. These need removing with proprietary moss killers before grasses will thrive.
Applying fertiliser in spring will help grass recover from winter damage and grow more extensive root systems better able to withstand drought and flooding.