249:"Fast/dry" courts are a relatively new innovation from America. These are generally made from basalt taken from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, which is then finely crushed and used as the top layer over either a purpose-built sub-layer or just placed on top of an existing clay or asphalt surface. This type of surface is promoted as allowing more "sliding" by the players and therefore it helps to limit tennis injuries to the lower parts of the body. These courts are typically slower than grass. They can dry very quickly and do not have the heat reflection problems of clay courts. Porosity is low and often these courts have a slight slope to aid water run off. They are similar to the basic clay courts described above.
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heating and supplementary lighting on the surface that encourages growth. Management techniques have also advanced, with more emphasis on soil and plant biology, morphology, and the zoology and physiology being introduced into the management of a grass sward. There are also a number of materials and methods to reinforce a natural grass playing surface.
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covering. They are also called synthetic granular courts. These courts typically provide a "fast" game, which means the tennis ball will bounce with a low angle. The speed of the court can be changed by varying the amount of sand present in the covering. If a layer of cushioning material is added to
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have had natural grass cover. The stresses on a pitch, combined with winter weather, can often mean that the pitch has to be returfed on a regular basis. Essentially the existing turf is removed to a depth of typically 40 mm turf and 110 mm of soil. The replacement turf is ideally purpose
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courts arises in very hot environments. The asphalt absorbs heat very quickly, but the painted lines will reflect the heat and this differential in temperature can lead to surface cracking. These courts are generally low-maintenance but they need to be recoated every 5 to 10 years. Most maintenance
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Clay courts require water to keep from cracking. This limits their use in very dry regions. At the other extreme, in countries like the United
Kingdom with very wet seasons, a clay court may be unplayable for long periods and may also give rise to expensive maintenance at the start of the season.
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Football pitch technology has moved forward tremendously since the 1970s/1980s, when it was found that by
December, almost all pitches turned into mud baths. Today's technology includes the use of drainage pipe at 5m centres, a gravel raft, a sand (suspended water table) rooting zone, undersoil
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The green, as opposed to the rough, is the principal area of concern. Many golf courses are now built in environments which would be hostile to natural grass cover and essentially the grass grows in a hydroponic or sterile environment with very fast drainage. This means that it has to be fed and
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offers an alternative to natural grass for football stadiums. There has been considerable development of this type of surface from the early days, when it was similar to tufted carpet. The performance of this surface has generally been questioned as not being truly natural. However, there are
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The skills needed to maintain a grass court are considerable. Traditionally the court is split into the foundations and drainage, the soil or binding layer, and the grass. All three must work together to provide the best playing surface. Maintenance of grass courts is typically split into the
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Many schools and universities offer either four-year programs in turf management, or certificates which take less time to complete. Students go on to become sports turf managers, head groundskeepers, golf course superintendents or work at a variety of other turf-related jobs.
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Normal maintenance is basically regular watering and rolling, to prevent the surface turning into dust. Clay courts can have both sub-surface and above surface irrigation. They provide a good training surface with a medium to slow pace and consistent bounce. The
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As stadiums have been developed, and are generally now nearly sealed constructions, meaning there is less light and air movement on the playing surface, new processes and procedures have been introduced to counterbalance the effects of this.
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definite advantages with artificial grass, particularly when a stadium has heavy or multi-use requirements. Artificial grass also has an advantage in environments hostile to natural grass, for instance, low sunlight or a paucity of water.
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Mowing height, which today is 3 to 6 mm. Due to the demand for faster greens, top courses are striving for even lower cutting heights. In the 1960s, green mowers were not capable of cutting below 6 mm; today they can cut below
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Frequency of mowing. During the growing season daily mowing is required. For faster speeds and professional tournaments greens may be cut twice a day or even double cut (two cuts in two directions, one immediately following the
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in particular, require a good deal of care to ensure that they are not waterlogged with rain, which can create issues with the bounce of the ball off the pitch as it is delivered to the batsman (the pitch is said to become a
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The growth in the popularity of golf, combined with the large sums of money invested in a golf course, has led to the development of turf management, which is a term used to refer to the skills of maintaining a golf course.
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courts are a popular option at club level as they are weather resistant and their shock absorbing qualities help limit injuries. However they are not recommended for high skill levels and are expensive to maintain. The
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in particular risk damaging themselves if they slip during their delivery stride. For these reasons, play is often stopped when rain occurs, with most of the field covered to prevent it from getting wet.
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grown to ensure consistency and freedom from weeds. A pitch can usually be returfed within four days and would typically involve removing and relaying 400 cubic metres of turf and soil. The
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prices a porous macadam court at £20,000, which should last 10 to 12 years with low maintenance costs. An acrylic court would cost around £25,000 and is long lasting with low maintenance.
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use "polymeric surfaces". Because of their hardwearing and porous nature they allow the facility to look attractive and well-kept at all times, although actual maintenance is low.
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The key characteristics of a good green are speed and consistency. Faster greens are preferred and for tournament play the greens should be as fast as possible. To measure speed a
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Hawks Field at
Haymarket Park ... won the Baseball Field of the Year Award in the College/University division by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) for the second time.
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Pitchcare offers an online magazine packed full (over 10,000) of working diaries, interviews and advice from many of the country's top
Groundsmen, Greenkeepers and specialists.
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The skills needed vary considerably dependent upon the sport and whether or not artificial surfaces are used. Special sets of skills are also needed to care for either
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158:. Historically very popular, they are now slowly being replaced by clay courts which offer the opportunity of year-round usage and lower maintenance.
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a hard court then the performance increases and this is typical of an all-weather court. However, the cost of the cushioning can be substantial.
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involves keeping the surface clean. There is generally little movement in the surface which means added strain on ankles and knee joints.
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Verticutting to remove excessive thatch, force the grass blades to stand upright, thin out excessive growth and speed up greens.
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ready for use. This article looks at the various types of sporting pitches and the type of challenges which they present.
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188:. Winter work to remedy compaction over the summer. It will encourage deep rooting as well as assisting in drainage.
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Aerating to remove excessive organic matter, modify the rootzone composition, improve rooting and drainage.
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All tennis courts should ideally be a little west of true north to ensure minimum problems from sunlight.
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prices a basic court at £27,000 and replacement turf every 9 years at a further £11,000.
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728:"Turf award winners named: Stevenson, Parrott, Tanis, Hall are classification winners"
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Rolling. Usually done in springtime to correct any problems from the winter weather.
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Scarification to remove moss and stop the collection of moisture on the green.
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Scarification: mechanically raising the surface turf to prevent compaction.
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Online
Resource For Groundsman, Greenkeepers and Turfcare Professionals
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Before play and during breaks, the pitch is swept over and otherwise
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Top dressing at the end of the season to maintain turf quality.
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Topdressing helps with consistency and reduces thatch buildup.
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prices the courts at between £34,000 and £60,000 to construct.
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649:"Bowling cricket injuries over: a review of the literature"
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Rolling, though excessive rolling will compact the grass.
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he STMA began recognising sports turf managers in 2001.
793:"NC State Turfgrass Management: www.TurfFiles.ncsu.edu"
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lists four main characteristics of a good grass pitch:
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is used. The main factors influencing green speed are:
699:"Swingin' in the rain - why cricket can't be baseball"
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There are two main types of tennis court, grass and
647:McGrath, Alicia; Finch, Caroline (November 1996).
191:Seeding of worn areas after the season has ended.
19:or pitchcare describes the work needed to keep a
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654:. Monash University - Accident Research Center
370:Bunkers at Filton Golf Club, Bristol, England
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770:"Pitchcare – Serving The Turfcare Industry"
456:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
410:Grooming to reduce the thickness of clumps.
751:"Baseball: Hawks Field at Haymarket Park"
734:. Minor League Baseball. 21 November 2011
476:Learn how and when to remove this message
354:Learn how and when to remove this message
132:Learn how and when to remove this message
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674:"The fastest ground staff in the world"
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732:Florida State League official website
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218:Hard courts are typically made from
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28:sand-based athletic fields
635:"Golf Course Maintenance"
576:All-weather running track
616:Organic lawn management
501:Adequate grass coverage
242:Lawn Tennis Association
213:Lawn Tennis Association
204:Lawn Tennis Association
32:organic turf management
830:Playing field surfaces
810:Golf clubs and courses
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450:improve this section
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379:watered regularly.
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708:27 November
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658:11 February
606:Sports turf
466:August 2021
344:August 2021
260:Golf course
174:Fertilisers
122:August 2021
804:Categories
622:References
574:See also:
556:maintained
391:3 mm.
384:stimpmeter
314:newspapers
92:newspapers
780:1 January
757:1 January
738:1 January
591:Education
582:athletics
437:does not
820:Stadiums
600:See also
186:Aeration
580:Modern
548:bowlers
458:removed
443:sources
401:other).
328:scholar
234:asphalt
224:acrylic
220:asphalt
106:scholar
585:tracks
537:, and
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652:(PDF)
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660:2024
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441:any
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