we had a lush green lawn when we moved in we now have mud and more mud. "

I bet that you kept the grass cut short and had a last cut late Sept or in
October.

With all that traffic on the grass, you would be well advised to let the
grass grow in the autumn, so that it was around 3 inches long going into the
winter, this will protect the ground and slow up the churning. It is harder
to get it back short in spring, but do you need to keep it as short as you
have been?
Sounds to me as if you have a Working area of grass. more a playing field
than a bowling green,
--
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk