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BY BOYD MONTGOMERY, CSFM

Top 5 Reasons W y AthleticField Cons ruction FailsNumber 1

Not understanding that a sports turf manager is needed to give input and care forthe facility.

The sports turf manager is like any other member of the team and has a wealth ofknowledge and resources that can help guide in any phase of the project. CSFMs(Certified Sports Field Managers) can help everyone understand the complexities ofgrowing and sustaining healthy viable turf. Too many times the process goes as fol-lows: hire the architect, design and bid the project, hire the contractor, begin con-struction, hire a sports turf manager. While this may seem like a good process tomany, it should be looked at as the wrong way to build proper fields. The sports turfmanager should be the first person hired, and they will then help in every processalong the way. Not having a good foundation to start equals failure or struggles downthe road.

Number 2Not involving an expert on the design and construction phases.

Circle 163 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/4571-163 Circle 164 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/4571-164

36 March 2005 SPORTSTURF • http://www.greenmediaonline.com

The design phase of any project is one of the most critical input stages that every-one involved in the project must be able to give guidance. This stage should be ateam input effort and everyone from the end user, to the person caring for the facilityshould be on the team. Too many times the design phase is completed before thesports turf manager can provide any input on the project. Sports turf managers are avital key and should be consulted or used during every step of the design phase.

The sports turf industry has a wealth of experts to consult with during this phase.Let's define experts! Sports turf man-agers who have been in the industryhave a proven track record of successin construction and maintenancepractices. Certified Sports FieldManagers, and consultants have spe-cialized in construction and design ofsuccessful sports turf facilities. As inany process, make sure that manage-ment does its homework when hiringa consultant. Would you hire a per-son for your business unless youchecked the background and refer-ences?

Number 3Hiring the architect that designed

your new and expensive recreationcenter.

Too many times when a projectstarts, management does not under-stand the need to seek qualifiedarchitects. Usually, they hire archi-tects that might be great at designingthe newest and hottest recreationalcenters, but have very limited or nounderstanding of the complexities ofdesign for athletic fields. Architectsshould be chosen on the successes ofthe facility. In order to find that out,this means management will need toconduct background checks with pre-vious project owners to see how theproject went.

In simpler terms, you would nothire a building architect to build amulti-million dollar golf course orathletic complex! Architects need tobe experts at understanding the differ-ent regiments of use and needs todesign a soil that will hold up withthe proper maintenance to the use ofthe facility.

Number 4Writing construction contracts

with the word "topsoil" instead of"growing medium" and/or "soil struc-ture."

You tend to see the word "topsoil" used often in construction pro-jects where money or knowledgeseems to be lacking. Trouble beginswhen this word is used because thereare so many definitions of topsoil.The architect will have one, youmight have another, and I can guar-antee the contractor will a haveanother.

Why is this important? Turf inathletic fields is a living, breathing

organism and it needs to have a support system designed in order to support success.If you start with a poor surrounding, then you will have poor results!

Understanding that you need to define "topsoil" into the growing medium or soilstructure is critical to the success of the construction. Instead of getting the cheapesttopsoil available, by defining it, you are able to specify the soil texture, soil porosity,soil infiltration rate, etc. These now give you a tight specification that is betterdefined and easier to hold contractors accountable if testing shows (continued on page 40)

or e Irst time ever,see eumqaeration and subsurface injection of DryJect~

Nobody has ever seen before the unique. dynamicpattern of three dimensional channels that arecreated by a typical DryJect application. The aggressivesubsurface changes created allow for air, water andnutrients to feed the root zone like no other systemon the market today without disrupting the surface.DryJect has been used on some of the nation's topgolf venues including Oakmont, Winged Footand Merion. Also, the Dallas Cowboys TrainingCenter uses DryJect.

Over two dozen Contracting ServiceCenter franchises nationally,DryJect has a location near you.

Contact details for authorized DryJect contractors(franchises) are listed on the web. Interested franchisecandidates contact the Administrative Offices at800-270-8873 or email info@dryject.com.

© Advanced Agro Technologies, Inc; DryJect LLC, 2005

Only DryJect Contractors give you this3 dimensional, dynamic effect.DryJect does two unique functions at once. First, as an aerator. Most aeration equipmentpunches, drills or slits; some pull plugs. Only DryJect aerates three dimensionally-side to side,front to back and even connects hole to hole. There's no glazing of hole walls, broken tineson buried rocks, changing tines or depth concerns of cracking drainage or other buried lines.It's a revolutionary concept using powered water - a patented Venturi process - to open thesoil for air, water and amendments in high volume without disturbing the surface

Secondly, it's the only machine that can inject while aerating. Following a water blastinto the turf, it instantaneously injects a selection of flowable dry amendments - sand, peat,diatomaceous earth, calcine clay, zeolites, top dressing, seed, wetting agents, insecticides, orbiological products, you select the mix. For root zone modification, DryJect can use about oneton of material per green.

DryJect Service Center Contractors eliminate the traditional need for a crew to drag, filland remove cores; saving a tremendous amount of labor and time. Some have calculatedsavings into six figures for a year. What's more, DryJect allows you to start a soil modificationprogram even as part of your regular aeration.

Why own equipment when you can contract for it with an authorized, experiencedDryJect Service Center Contractor? With over two dozen territories nationally, there's adependable DryJect contractor near you. Check out the full animation on our website orphone today for more details, pricing.

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http://www.sportsturfmanager.com • STMA

Circle 165 on card 01' www.oners.ims.ca/4571-165

SPORTSTURF 37

(continued from page 37) the product is not correct.

Number 5Hiring the wrong contractor for the project.Contractors must be hired who have an understanding of how to build athletic

fields. Street contractors, generally low bidders, are not acceptable contractors!

Construction is generally awarded to those low bidders and you end up with poorresults! Why? Because these contractors, while experts at building streets, have nounderstanding of the importance of proper construction of athletic fields.

For one, compaction needs to be looked at differently. For streets, the goal is tocompact, compact, compact the sub-base. In athletic fields we all know what happenswhen this occurs.

Why Does This certified Bermudagrass VarietyMake Such Good sense for

Sunbelt Playing Fields?Closer IV\Owing ~ht Leaf Blade Im~ LeafHeights .. Texture

Research conducted in Tifton GA shows ., '" TifSport has a similar leaf texture tothat TifSport can tolerate closer mowing TlfSports leaf blade stlffne~s IS beln9 touted Tifway, and a finer leaf texture thanheights than Tifway and Midiron. With by many turfgrass professioncls. With TifSport mo.st other grasses. :nfSport willTifSport, mowing fanatics can mow away players seem to get better bounces. ~eliver excell~nt footing for sportsto their heart's content. f elds of all stripes.SU·

Turf~TifSport has a greater densitthan Tifway - about a1 point difference on a 10point scale. And it's about 3points better than commonbermudagrass.

Good LateralGrowth

Dark GreenColor

Pastel green is passe.TifSport'sdark emeraldgreen color will makeyour fields the envy of theneighborhood.

Drought ToughAll grass has to have water,but TifSport can help youmake it through thosesummer water restrictions.It stays healthier and recoversfaster from drought than mostother bermudas.

TifSport is more aggressivethan genetically pure Tifway,especially during the coolweather months. This mayaccount for TifSport's rapidgrow-in and repair time. Cold Tolerant

TifSport has expanded thenorthern limit for warmseason bermudagrasses.It has survived multiplewinters as far north asStillwater OK & Lexington KY.

SU • Sod~

TifSport'ssuperior sodstrength means quickerinstallation with less waste,and that's got to be goodfor your bottom line. Pest Resis1ant

Research has shown thatmole ceickets just plain don'tlike TifSport.That's just onemore reason why youshould.

Excellent TrafficTolerance

TifSport's turf density, sodstrength and good lateralgrowth rate give it a highranking for traffic tolerance ..

~-mf inside view of a typical TifSport plugshows TifSport's impressive root system,stolons and rhizomes.

For a ~ ~ .. . -"tt Growers VISit:WWW:1ifSport.comCircle 168 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/4571-168

40 March 2005

Another thing is the equipment.While large excavators are great andfast, athletic field constructionrequires lighter equipment that mayadd additional time to the project.

Understanding that contractors,just like architects, need to have acomplete understanding and suc-cessful history of construction isvital. Management must understandthat they must do their homeworkbefore they award the contract.

Low bid is always a problem atsome levels of this industry, and itshould not be. The reason thisshould not be an issue is that the biddocuments must be written with thespecific qualifications required, andyou should be able to eliminate anycontractor that is not qualified tobuild your fields. Then you can feelcomfortable awarding the low bidbecause that contractor meets all thequalifications. Be more specific thanjust requiring a contractor whobuilds athletic fields. ST

Boyd "Rob" Montgomery,CSFM, is Treasurer of the STMABoard of Directors and Directorof Facilities and Maintenance forthe Sylvania (OH) RecreationCorp. He can be reached at turf-man@thewavz.com.

PUSH-TYPETOPDRESSEREarth & Turf Products has intro-

duced its Model 24D TruFlow, apush-type topdresser for dry, flow-able materials, including sand, infieldmix and calcined clay on athleticfields. The 24D features: 3 cu. ft.capacity; 8-in. diameter dispersaldrum; 24-in. wide spreading pattern;and adjustable front gate opening.Earth & Turf Products, LlC/888-693-2638For information, circle 059 orsee http://www.oners.ims.ca/4571-059

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