I took over a neglected lawn of weeds 2 yrs ago. Had great initial success the first fall using a verticutter, Scott's seed and a thin layer of compost. Huge success and everyone started referring to me as the "lawn whisperer". Or maybe it was only me�

Trouble is after two years of over seeding and fertilizing it still won't thicken up. Here's my 2 problems

1. Ground is hard underfoot. It's sandy soil that dries instantly after a rain. It's uncomfortable to walk on and still no thatch. I put a layer of compost down which helps for a month but is gone after. I back onto a golf course and it's very soft underfoot. I do not water generally as lawn is large but we've had a lot of rain and cool weather. Would shampoo help this?

2. Grass blades die from tip down. This happens all over but in the dry areas it's much worse. I do have a ton of tiny white moths but no chinch bugs as far as I can tell. I'll try and post a pic.