SportsTurf

July 2013

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.

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Facility&Operations | By Eric T. Kleypas and Philipe C. F. Aldahir Gridiron maintenance challenges within the SEC Meeting the ever-changing Maintenance needs of college athletic fields must begin with a winning team of turfgrass managers. The grounds crew at Auburn University is well rounded with turfgrass management and horticulture graduates as well as former athletes who know how an athletic field should perform. The crew of seven full-time employees and six students is responsible for maintaining 15 acres of athletic fields, a 23-acre golf practice facility, and the landscaping around the athletic facilities. Directed by a graduate (BS and MS) of the Auburn Turfgrass program, Eric Kleypas, the crew fully understands the importance of football in the South, and especially in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). With some of the best athletes in the country, delivering a safe and playable field is a must. Also it is important to keep the fields looking in excellent shape, as they are exposed to tens of thousands of live viewers and millions of eyes through TV coverage on Saturdays in the fall. And it doesn't end there: with a fierce recruiting race for the 24 SportsTurf | July 2013 best players, it is important to keep the fields in excellent shape year-round. Add special events to the mix, and maintaining fields in the SEC can become extremely challenging. Facilities used by the Auburn football team include natural grass at Jordan Hare Stadium, with a capacity of 87,451 fans, MOWING at Jordan Hare Stadium. two natural grass practice fields, and one indoor artificial turf field. Tifway bermudagrass is the turf of choice and all fields are overseeded in the fall with perennial ryegrass to maintain playability and aesthetics throughout the winter. Depending on the time of year, mowing heights range from 5/8" to 7/8". For the majority of the summer, height of cut is at 3/4"and fields are mowed six days per week. Fertility requirements are met with a combination of slow release, polymer coated products and supplemented with quick release, soluble sources as needed. Summers are spent frequently core aerifying to alleviate compaction, remove logo paint, and slow organic matter accumulation. THE NEED FOR QUALITY TURF YEAR-ROUND As with other schools in the SEC, recruiting has become a year-round process at Auburn, creating the need for pristine athletic fields 365 days a year. The turf www.sportsturfonline.com

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