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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/251524
February 2014 | SportsTurf 25 www.stma.org Field #3: American Softball Association's Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy of Tracy Schneweis. Field #4: Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, Univer- sity Park, PA. Photo courtesy of Paul Curtis. Field #5: Wilpon Softball Complex: Alumni Field on the campus of the University of Michigan. Photo courtesy of Jason DeMink. amendment. We have found that the coverage and resiliency of the finer granule product is much better than the other products, ulti- mately countering the additional cost of that product. Our maintenance routine is the most important component of keeping our clay surfaces safe, firm and resilient, especially with the prevalence of wet conditions in the Pacific Northwest Region. Our clay routine is as follows: Scarify "action" area; going several directions to break down any high points and loose material. Pull/brush back using a small broom, any loose material in and surrounding the said hole(s). Once surface is "bare," we use a small hand sprayer (pump action) to wet the "bare" area. You will not always need to wet the bare area; there is no need to saturate the surface. Add the clay product to the hole first, avoid tapering off into the less disrupted and bare surfaces, avoiding this will help prevent the slow build up which commonly occurs. The deeper the hole, the more important it is to add the clay in layers to promote a solid bond and rid the clay of any pockets which may have formed. While lay- ering, a quick mist of water before adding the next layer will promote a solid bond. When tamping the clay material, use a firm downward action to initially pack the clay into the hole. Inspect layer tamped and add material as necessary. Regardless, finish tamp the surface, overlapping each tamp to produce a smooth surface. It is important to not build your clay up to "flush" with the pitch- ing rubber or home plate because when adding your finishing amend- ments such as Turface, you will be adding a layer which will bring the soil above the rubber. Leaving your finished clay work a fraction of an inch below the rubber will promote less digging, and limit the op- portunity for the surrounding surfaces to build-up. Once the clay has been thoroughly tamped, based on observed moisture in the clay, it may be necessary to apply a light coat of water before scarifying over the work to knock down any high spots, loose material, etc… will aide in the bonding of the top layer. Using a rake, pull any loose material and debris to the center of the circle, dragging it over the clay work you have just completed, the dust and finer particles will work well as a "mortar" to fill any small cracks and openings in the packed clay. Remove the debris and material collected. Finish groom/rake the circle. Based on weather conditions and soil moisture, water as needed and tarp once moisture levels appear adequate. Tarping is the other critical element of clay maintenance. This very tedious process will help surface hold-up better leading to less disruption and quicker maintenance turnaround. Schneweis: Because I was new to the position (I started in April of 2013) and to the area, this past playing season was more of an ex- periment. Coming from a baseball background, I was also new to soft- ball. We tried several types of mound clays and conditioners to see 3 4 5