SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/82015
Q&A What makes a field good? BY DR. GRADY MILLER Professor, North Carolina State University Questions? Send them to Grady Miller at North Carolina State University, Box 7620, Raleigh, NC 27695- 7620, or email grady_miller@ncsu.edu Or, send your question to David Minner at Iowa State University, 106 Horti- culture Hall, Ames, IA 50011 or email dminner@iastate.edu. Q Our field looks a lot like turf [meaning synthetic turf in this con- text], but I know it is not. But it looks like it. Isn't that good? You are a turf doctor, so what makes our field good? How come our field looks dif- ferent than others when I watch it on TV?-Security Officer #1, EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL know, EverBank Field is the home stadium facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL and also hosts the annual Florida-Georgia game and the Gator Bowl. Like many other large stadiums it has also hosted the occasional motocross, monster truck event, and music concert. It is a great stadium with a talented grounds crew headed by my good friend, Mark Clay. And as the security guard alluded to in his questions, the field looks about as close to perfect as you can get with natural grass. Getting back to the question, For those of you that do not let me provide more background information. At last month's North Florida STMA meeting, I was an invited speaker. Everyone that goes into EverBank Field has to check in with security. On that day one of the two security officers at the check-in station noticed that my name badge had "Dr." on it and he asked if I was a "Turf Doctor." I said I was of sorts. He said he had some questions and then he pro- ceeded to ask, starting with the ones I indicated at the start of this article. His colleague (I'll call him Security Officer #2) also had some thoughts on fields so the three of us had a lively discussion. First, I tried to explain to these guys that turf could be natural tur- fgrass not just synthetic turf. Secu- rity Officer #1 could not accept that fact, insisting that turf was ar- tificial and grass was [living] grass. I really botched my explanation when I introduced the word "turf- 46 SportsTurf | September 2012 grass." Security officer #2 tried to help me out but we did not get very far. My day as an educator was not beginning going so well—only 50% acceptance. After a few min- utes I had to resort to using turf versus grass terminology, figuring that they could continue the vo- cabulary argument later. Second, I needed to address the concept of what makes a field good? Obviously these guys were similar to most sports fans in that they actually notice what the fields on TV look like each week. Natu- ral grass fields used by the NFL, particularly early in the season, are so perfectly uniform in color and I told the security guys how much the field crew "pokes small holes" in the grass to make it softer and that they constantly monitor the watering, fertilization, and mowing. Everything is measured and applied with precision. These tasks and other are all carefully or- chestrated around use so that no management practice goes undone and no resource is wasted. This at- tention to detail combined with professional grade equipment and products allows the field crew to achieve perfection far beyond what the average person can do with their home lawn. I stressed that the ground crew is professionals, not a There could be a large number of potential explanations. And in the end, it does not mean one field is necessarily better than another. They may look different but play similarly. density with their crisp lines and logos that they may not look natu- ral to some onlookers. They im- maculate fields are often nothing like the fields the fans remember playing on when they were a kid— colored a splotchy yellowish-green with uneven grass heights, worn areas, and outlined with crooked lines produced from haphazard ap- plication of some ill-chosen sub- stances like lime, diesel fuel, or non-selective herbicide. Of course uniformity alone does not make a field good. From a use perspective, it has to have good footing for the players and enough cushion that when they fall on the surface that it provides some pro- tection from injuries. This is why the NFL has started a new pro- gram to routinely evaluate fields for hardness and try to get them all under a specific "hardness value." bunch of amateurs still trying to master their trade. fields on TV look different because they may use different grasses or they are likely maintaining their field under different weather con- ditions. Also, the other stadium fields may be used differently than EverBank Field. There could be a large number of potential explana- tions. And in the end, it does not mean one field is necessarily better than another. They may look dif- ferent but play similarly. These last two statements opened the door for a string of new questions. But by now the line was starting to form behind me with meeting at- tendees wanting to check in, so I needed to go. So, we'll have to visit again another time. ■ I explained to them that some www.sportsturfonline.com