"Why won't your stupid grass grow"

"Well Honey, we have bad soil"

"Then fix it" she said.

We built a house last year and the back yard simply will not grow. I'm
reasonably knowledgeable about grass growing but need some help with this
one.

Our soil wouldn't "perk" because of the red clay here in Piedmont Virginia.
After the final grade, I seeded, fertilized, limed and strawed. We've had
plenty of rain....and I've overseeded the wash out areas.

I planted turf-type tall fescue recommended for this area.

The soil is just bad. The front yard has better soil and has grown fine. I
have a lush, thick lawn already.

The backyard dries out after just a day without rain.

Through hard work and TLC, I have a basic lawn established but I can tell it
will never be nice unless I enhance the soil.

I have about an acre of problem area and a nice assortment of lawn tools to
attack it with.

Any suggestions on how to improve my soil ?