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/484138
www.stma.org April 2015 | SportsTurf 35 The demand for higher end fields has now become so popular that this year West Coast Turf (WCT) created my position to focus solely on sports turf customers. (I had been a longtime sales man- ager for WCT.) We're refocusing on this college and professional stadium customer, and are providing more hands on technical support during harvest, installation, and grow in. To accomplish this goal, it starts with the customer meeting at the farm with the salesperson, farm manager, and manage- ment coordinator to discuss what variety is preferred. Once grass is selected it will be nurtured and held in inventory until time of harvest. Once the turf is selected they will discuss height of cut, fertilization schedule, and any cultural practices necessary to keep grass in top condition so it will be ready when needed. Several more visits will take place, but a month before harvest the group will gather and walk the field to make any changes and confirm all details of project. On the day of the harvest either the WCT salesperson or the WCT management coordinator will be on site with the farm manager to provide quality control over the harvest, making sure the correct thickness is consistent throughout the process and any unacceptable grass is left behind. Once the sod is loaded, the WCT salesperson and WCT management coordinator will be on site to supervise the installation of the sod. This process in some form will be used on all sports fields, not just for the high-end customers. We recommend to anyone planning on getting sod to make a visit out to the farm not only to see the grass, but to learn the entire process from growing to installation. We've learned valuable information due to our involvement in other projects, such as seven Super Bowls and numerous champi- onship and World Series games, which is then passed along to our customers. It is also pretty standard these days to re-sod between the hash marks or sometimes an entire field mid-season, or for playoffs in football. It didn't used to be that way. We do it on a regular basis now, and we are prepared with the right turfgrass for that situation. WCT frequently has their high end customers out at the farm. Luke Yoder of the Padres (and his dogs Tucker and Torrey), Clay Wood of the Oakland A's, Will Schnell of the Rose Bowl, Eric Hansen of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Barney Lopas of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kyle Waters of the StubHub Center, Matt Greiner of the San Francisco 49ers, Greg Elliott of the San Francisco Giants, Brian Johnson from Arizona State, Nick Cole of UC Berkley, Kevin Moore from Stanford Stadium, and Kore Higuchi for UC Davis are among the several turf professionals that can be found out the farm on any given day. Will Schnell is the perfect example of that extremely meticulous customer, and he isn't afraid to say it. He makes many visits out to the sod farm in preparation for his big games. "My timeframe (to switch out his field) is so short that I have to make sure my sod is dialed in perfectly," says Schnell. "I go out and check thatch levels, take soil and tissue samples, and make sure there is a backup plan in case there are any complications. Every turf manager likes their turf different. I want to go out there to the farm and see what it looks like for myself. I could call and ask, and someone could say 'It looks great!' but then I'd be shooting blind. I have 2 acres of grass out there that I am going to put down. Sometimes I want a fungi- cide, sometimes I don't. My requirements vary. Sometimes I need to change the moisture to match my needs at the stadium." When asked what part of the process was most important, Schnell did not hesitate. "Relationships," he replied. "Specifically my relationship with Larry Contreras (WCT's Southern California farm manager). Sales people are awesome, but the most important guy out there is the guy that is out there every day growing the grass and that is Larry. The turf guys need to know the farmer. He's been out there growing the grass for the last 12 months. Yes, I'm particular—but it's the Rose Bowl. I have to be." Luke Yoder of the Padres, left, and West Coast Turf's farm manager, Larry Contreras. LEFT: Will Schell from the Rose Bowl inspecting his plot at the farm. RIGHT: Clay Wood at the farm; Oakland's The O.com Coliseum is also the only dual professional baseball and football facility left.