A worn-down field does not necessarily mean a worn-out field. There are many factors to determining if it’s time to replace your field, but a solid maintenance plan is key to maximizing the useful life of your turf field.
Your Maintenance Plan
Maintenance should consist of routine and periodic maintenance. Routine maintenance can be done by your facility staff, while periodic maintenance is best done by a professional.
Routine:
- Groom to maintain infill & remove fiber debris
- Sweep to remove organic & foreign debris
- Monitor infill levels
- Spot dress [high wear areas (BB-SB)]
- Use of protective mats on pitcher’s area & home plate (BB-SB)
Periodic:
- Decompaction of infill with tines & mechanical brushes
- Removal of buried debris with magnet drag
- Antimicrobial treatments
- Repairs to seams, inlays, and logos
- Replacement of high wear areas (BB-SB)
- Safety & performance testing
Field Longevity Case Study
Consistent maintenance of your field and its infill is key to maximizing the useful life of your field. Regular testing of your field will provide objective data that can be used to help inform additional maintenance needs such as top-dressing or help you plan for a replacement cycle based on safety and performance data rather than just aesthetic conditions.
Let’s look at two districts in our market.
- 2012 installations = 9-year-old fields in neighboring districts
- 2.25″ monofilament with sand/rubber infill no pad
- Same designer, same performance spec, different turf manufacturer
District A had to replace the field in year eight due to poor safety and performance metrics. District B was able to get four more years of use from their fields before replacing them. That’s 50% more useful life!
Our turf maintenance team at PSC can help monitor the long-term health, safety, and performance of your field and take the guessing out of your facility lifecycle planning. Put our team to work for yours.
About Paragon Sports Constructors
Paragon Sports Constructors is a turn-key contractor of natural and synthetic turf sports fields, running tracks and tennis courts based in Fort Worth, Texas. With over 40 years of sports construction experience they are one of the premier sports field and running track contractors in the South-Central United States. Paragon Sports Constructors is a member of the American Sports Builders Association who remains focused on quality construction practices, choosing to partner with top brand name manufacturers of synthetic turf and track surfacing to provide clients a consistently high-quality project from planning to first use. For more information on Paragon Sports Constructors please visit www.paragon-sports.com, or follow them on social media at LinkedIN, Twitter, and Facebook.
