Fall Oversee dingcontinued from page 20

that's more like 50:50," says JohnDimatteo of Lofts Seed in Bound Brook,NJ, marketer ofPalmer. 'The smaller seedworks its way into the bermudagrasscanopy better than ryegrass. If the Poagoes out, you are covered for a few moredays by the ryegrass."

Melanie Fraser, manager of TurfSeed's East Coast research facility nearRaleigh, NC, warns turf managers thatPoa trivialis is considered a seriousweed by sod growers and golf coursesuperintendents with bentgrass greens.''It is stoloniferous and persists in clumpsin other turf," she cautions. The roughbluegrass can linger in shaded or moistareas when you want the bennudagrassto kick back in. Some people object to itsapple green color.

Breeders are currently selecting dark-er green varieties of Poa trivialis. Someturf managers might recall that theearly perennial ryegrasses were lightgreen, wider bladed, and shredded whenmowed. Who can say where rough blue-grass will end up?

By dedicating the resources to safeand quality turf, more schools, parks,

and other sports facilities have theskilled personnel to manage overseeding.

In the meantime, the use of bermuda-grass, especially improved seeded bermu-das, is moving northward. Grounds-keepers over an increasing part of thecountry can deliver both the best sum-mer turf and the best winter turf for heavysports use. By dedicating the resourcesto safe and quality turf, more schools,parks, and other sports facilities have theskilled personnel to manage overseeding.

The demand for overseeded turf in thewinter is steadily increasing. Benefits ofappearance, impact absorption, soil sta-bilization, temperature moderation, and

oxygen production continue to outweighconcerns over water, debris producedduring overseeding, and maintenancechemicals. In the case of sports turf,overseeded turf is now the standard bywhich athletic directors and park super-intendents are judged.

"Once you begin to overseed, it's dif-ficult to stop," points out Pepin, who isnow president ofPickseed in Tangent, OR."Coaches, players and spectators arefairly insistent on overseeded turf oncethey are exposed to it. The turfmanag-er has little choice but to comply." 0

MACHINE INSTALLED TURFThe 30/1 wide roll isthe most practical size large roll onthe market today!Only the "CYGNET/I machines actually install turf byturning the rolls at ground speed with tighter andfewer seams.

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Circle 111 on Postage Free Card

Application DeadlineFor Rutgers Program

Applications are being accepted for thetwo-year Rutgers Professional Golf TurfManagement School, one of the nation'sleading professional educational pro-grams in golf turf management. Thecourse is presented in two 10-week ses-sions over two years and requires twoseasons of supervised field experiencewhere students apply skills developedin the classroom.

In this program, students learn tech-nical skills required ofall superintendents,such as turfgrass establishment, main-tenance of greens and tees, plant pathol-ogy, entomology and weed identifica-tion, as well as management andcomputer- and communication skills.

The course is recommended for golfcourse superintendents, assistant super-intendents, greenskeepers, irrigationtechnicians and mechanics who have aminimum of two years of experienceworking in turf management.

Applications for the WinterSession, which is scheduled for Jan. 2through March 10, 1995, are due onOct. 21, 1994.

To request a brochure and application,or for more information, contact theCook College Office of ContinuingProfessional Education, P.O. Box 231,New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0231. Phone:(908) 932-9271.

California SenateKills Pesticide Bill

The five-member Rules Committee ofthe California State Senate killed a billthat would have streamlined the state'spesticide review standards. The bill'sauthor, freshman Assemblywoman JulieBornstein (D-Palm Desert), offered to gutmost of the bill in a futile attempt to keepit alive.

In its original form, Bornstein's billwould have allowed for the use ofnew pes-ticides more quickly,because existing staterequirements would be adjusted to bringthem in line with federal requirements,which are less stringent.

The measure would speed-up regis-tration of many new pesticides if theiruse had already been approved by theEPA. Under present California law,new pesticides must have a separatestate study and approval, which cantake up to two years.

''This measure would have streamlinedthe pesticide registration process inCalifornia without sacrificing the state'shigh standards for pesticide safety,"Bornstein says.

Annual Conferenceand Show

The 42nd Annual Florida TurfgrassAssociation Conference and Show isscheduled to be held at the BrowardCounty Convention Center, Sept. 18-21. The theme ofthe show is "Turf''n Surf"

Known as the "largest warm-seasonturf show" in the southeast, this eventis estimated to attract more than 3,000attendees from all areas of the greenindustry. More than 350 exhibits fromthe United States, Canada and Englandwill display new products along withthe latest techniques and strategies forthe turfgrass industry.

During the trade show, workshops willbe led by qualified specialists. Topicsrangefrom go1:f7sportsturf maintenance and gen-eral turflawn care, to government reg-ulations and environmental policies.

For more information call the FTGAat (800) 882-6721.

Are your athletic fields smooth and uniform?Top Dressing will level existing turfproducing a safer, more consistentplaying surface.

Top Dressing is the process of addingnew soil to existing turf. Repetitive topdressing will level the turf and promotethe decomposition of thatch. Whereturf is underdeveloped, special mixturesof top dressing will improve soildrainage and stimulate growth.

The Mete-R-Matic®Top Dressersare specifically designed for uniformapplication of top dressingto sports turf.

TURFCD MFG, INC. Phone (612) 785-1000 * Fax (612) 785-0556

Circle 112 on Postage Free Card September 1994 23

New Wave:

CAMPBELL eUIDES TENNESSEEBACI( TO NATURAL TURF

The finished natural turf product. Bob Campbell (right).

By Bob Tracinski

~

he University of Tennessee'sNeyland Stadium, home of theperpetually nationally-ranked

football Volunteers, was converted toartificial turf in 1968. At that time,artificial surfaces for sports activitywere "the wave of the future," deemedmore playable, better for the athletes andless costly to maintain. Knoxville'sUniversity of Tennessee was the firstoutdoor stadium to make the move.

Over the years, several new "rugs"were required to keep the surface ingood condition. As the time approachedto replace the rug yet again, a swell ofsupport arose for the switch back tonatural turf. Rumors surfaced thatother schools were using the artificialplaying surface as a negative factor inrecruiting against UT Coach PhillipFulmer. Where once the student athletes'"perceptions" of top playing conditionswere reflected by the school's artificialturf, that same surface now appeared tobe coloring potential athletes' "percep-

24 sports TURF

tions" of where they should invest theirplaying skills.

Obviously, the decision to convert ahigh-profile, heavily-used artificial sur-face to natural turf is not undertakenlightly.

Also obvious is the fact that BobCampbell, assistant director of athleticfacilities at the University of Tennessee,takes no part of his responsibilitieslightly. Bob Campbell does his homework.He believes in research, fact-finding,probing, questioning, checking and re-checking, seeing what works, findingout what doesn't work, and always seek-ing the "WHY" behind the results.

Campbell joined the UT staff in 1990with a strong sports-related background.In the early 1970s, Campbell attendedthe University of Tennessee and servedas an assistant baseball coach. Aftergraduating with a degree in accounting,he taught at the high school level and,for 16years, he coached both baseball andfootball. As is the case in many highschool situations, Campbell served as hisown groundskeeper to get and keep the

best possible playing conditions for hisstudent athletes.

Ten years ago, he quit the coachingscene in favor of a groundskeeper posi-tion with a AAbaseball franchise. Duringthis period, he was still a full-time teach-er. Finally, the challenge ofgroundskeep-ing at the university level drew him tohis current position with the Universityof Tennessee.

Campbell says, "This is the big time.Tennessee has no professional-levelfootball. Neyland Stadium is filled to thefull 95,000 capacity for every homegame, and every eye and ear in thestate focuses on our team. It doesn't getany bigger than this."

As a dedicated alumnus, Campbell hadbeen monitoring the artificial versusnatural turf situation prior to making themove. Once on board, he dug into thishomework in earnest. "I knew a decisionwould be made, and I wanted to haveeverything ready to move if we did go tograss," he asserts.

Typical of Campbell's style, he soughtinput from Dr. Tom Samples, turfgrasS

Nutri-Turf sprigged Neyland Field withTifway 419 (top). The rootzone consists of 90%sand and 10%reed sedge peat. NeylandStadium in days of artificial turf (right).

extension specialist for the university.Samples became not only a top researcheron the project, but also what Campbellcalls "my personal tutor and mentor.There's so much more that can be cov-ered by working one-on-one with Tomthan I could ever get in a classroomsetting. Besides, Tom has this knack oftaking the most complex technical out-put and translating it into 'real-world'terms. And it's never, 'you must do it thisway' - it's 'if you adopt these methods,these are the probable outcomes - if youadopt those methods instead, those arethe probable outcomes.' The decision ismine to make based on the best techni-cal input available."

"Before a natural field could be con-sidered seriously, we had to determineWhether the stadium site could supportturf growth," says Campbell. "NeylandStadium had been expanded after the arti-ficial field was installed. The steep con-figuration of the existing structure blocksSunlight from much of the field for rel-atively long periods. Dr. Joanne Loganand her class conducted a concentrated

shade study with computer models andrelated field tests to determine the exactshade levels and the degree of shadeto which all sections of the field were sub-jected throughout the year. After review-ing the data, Dr. Samples' conclusion wasthat, while the situation was not ideal,we could grow grass. Then we tackledthe other concerns in earnest."

Campbell's approach to determiningwhat kind of field could and should bebuilt again was typical. He began check-ing ALL ofthe options. "I read everythingI could get my hands on," he says. "I vis-ited as many different stadiums as Icould and talked to the grounds managersthere. I attended the national Sports TurfManagers Association meeting inIndianapolis. And I asked everyone aseries of questions: "What do you likeabout your field? What don't you likeabout it? What would you do different-ly if you were to build it now, fromscratch, with no constraints? And to allthe answers I asked WHY."

Campbell expanded his list of advisors,adding Dr. Coleman Ward of Auburn

University, Dr. Gil Landry of theUniversity of Georgia ,Dr. Lloyd CallahanofUT, Dr. A. J. Powell of the Universityof Kentucky, and a contact from theSTMA meeting, Chuck Dixon, presi-dent of technical operations for TurfDiagnostics and Design, Inc., Olathe, KS.

Campbell is a great listener. He madenotes of who did what and why. Then heran all of that information by Samplesto get his input and to help generatemore questions.

Campbell's information base wasdrawing him toward the USGA-greens-specification type of field. He quizzedDixon on field construction and especiallyon the field the company had helpeddevelop at the University of Florida inGainesville. With five years of history,this field was holding up well and hadmet with apparent approval from itscoaches, players and grounds-care staff.

But naturally, Campbell didn't stopthere. He made a site visit to Gainesville,talked with Mike Powell and other peoplethere himself and asked his seriesof questions.

continued on page 26

September 1994 25

Tennesseecontinued from page 25

''With all the positive input, it was theconsensus that if the move was made tonatural turf, a USGA-greens type fieldwas the way to go," Campbell continues.

In the spring of 1993, Coach Fulmerand Athletic Director Doug Dickey offi-ciallymade the decision to convert the fieldto natural turf. Then Campbell provid-ed his recommendations on the type offieldthat should be built. At this stage, andthroughout the entire project, "Supportwithin the University has been great.Everyone was behind this conversionand did everything they could to ensureits success," Campbell maintains.

Campbell can't say enough about hisstaff. ''Head Groundskeeper Myron Roachis tops," he insists. "With our estab-lished fields and practice fields, I just makesure the staff has the materials andequipment they need to work with andstand back and let them make me lookgood. We have three full-time and threepart-time personnel assigned to the ath-letic fields and there's not one of them I'deven consider trading for anybody else'sgrounds crew. This field conversion andthe ongoing maintenance that natural turfwill require means more work for all ofthese crew members. Yet everyone ofthem has been for it and given a 110-per-cent effort to make it happen."

"I think the opportunity to convertNeyland Stadium to natural turf is aonce in a lifetime experience," saysCampbell. "And I wanted to make surewe did it right." Campbell issued amemo to all involved as field constructionbegan that laid the groundwork for theentire project: ''Weare going to build thebest field that can be built, given what weknow today about agronomy and athleticfield construction."

Campbell had formulated precise plansfor the field construction. He knew thefield layout, design and details; the irri-gation and drainage systems that wouldbe used; the turf type and specifications.Dixon was hired as a consultant repre-senting the university - to select the prop-er materials, write the precise specifica-tions, and handle the quality control toensure that specs were met.

Normal university bidding procedureswere followed. The general contractorawarded the bid had never built a foot-ball field before. Campbell served as the"unofficial" on-site supervisor and coor-dinator, as well as filling his role of

26 sporfsTURF

providing guidelines and input on theoverall project.

Though USGA-greens guidelineswould be followed, there were someunique factors involved. First, there isno underlying "choker layer" on the field.

Finding the "right" sand was probablythe toughest construction problem encoun-tered. The University of Tennessee foot-ball program has a tradition of speed.Campbell and Dixon assured the coach-ing staff that the firm, fast track theydesired would be retained in the newturf field. "We don't have golfers teeingoff or putting and then moving on," saysCampbell. ''We have 300 pounders diggingin and hitting each other, and 22 bigguys running over the same basic areaagain and again. The underlying causeof every loose, torn up or poorly-per-forming sand-based field seemed to be animproper mix of sand or a poor or incom-patible choice of sod. Those were twomajor problems we were determined toavoid. If there was to be any error in siz-ing the sand, it would have to be too finefor added stability, rather than too coarse."

More than 20 samples of sand weretested. Though many sands conformedto USGA guidelines, they weren't prop-erly graded to contain the mix of fractionsDixon and Campbell were seeking.Finally, after six months of looking,they selected a fine-particle glass sandand blended it with the best of theUSGA-spec sand. The mix still meetsUSGA guidelines, but "leans" to thefine side. The sand was then blended withDakota Reed Sedge Peat for a 90-percentsand, 10-percent peat mix. Blending ofthe entire 12-inch sand-peat profile wasdone off-site to ensure consistency.Dixon tested and monitored each step.

An underlying 4-inch layer of peagravel also took some searching to find.The gravel selected was found in Kentuckyand barged downriver to the stadium.

The network of underlying drainageplaced over the natural clay soil baseuses 6-inch perforated drain lines on 15-foot centers running parallel to the fieldsurface. A series of4-inch drain lines runsin a herringbone pattern to both sidelines.Sideline piping runs to exit points into theriver on the south side ofthe stadium. Thisbelow-surface field drainage is indepen-dent of the pipeline that carries drainagefrom the stadium itself and the surfacewater that drains from the field. The steepconfiguration of the stadium can pro-duce heavy drainage during excessiverains. Campbell wanted the double pip-

ing system within the trenches to elim-inate any potential problems.

The field itself is constructed with a 16-inch crown, similar to that ofmany nativesoil fields; another example of Campbell'sattention to detail. "Though field perco-lation rates are hitting the 13 inches weplanned on, the crown will help movesurface water away from the playingarea faster. And, if at some point we dodecide to invest in a tarping system, it'sfar easier to remove a tarp from a crownedfield than a flat one," says Campbell.

There is no in-ground irrigation sys-tem for the new field. ''We wanted to elim-inate 'things' in the field that held anypotential for mechanical failure or forplayer injury. We've done that by elim-inating pump-type sub-surface drainageand underground pipes, valves and heads."

The field is watered with six off-fieldNelson 150 water cannons; three oneach side of the field. They're hooked intoa loop system of 6-inch water lines thatcan operate three cannons at a time at80 pounds-per-square-inch pressure.Each cannon can deliver 270 gallons ofwater a minute. The main shut-off forthe water system is under the stadiumunder lock and key to eliminate anyaccidents. Though someone does needto be present for each irrigation ses-sion, Campbell's assessment of theadvantages outweighs any drawbacks.The system can deliver 1/2 inch of waterin 30 to 35 minutes when necessary.Normally, only one or two of the cannonsoperate at anyone time.

"Both Georgia and Auburn have watercannon systems," reveals Campbell."Tom, Myron and I went to check themout. Tom was concerned with the dropletsizes that were issued, and Myron want-ed to find out from the operators theirassessment of the operational ease andefficiency. This feedback helped swingthe decision."

Another challenge was finding the rightturf in the best form. Campbell hadalready worked with Charles Williams,manager of Nutri-Turf division ofAnheuser-Busch, Inc., Fayetteville, TN,on the University practice football fieldand golf range, and had great confi-dence in the company's abilities. Williams

. tbecame nearly as absorbed in the proJecas Campbell. .

When the decision was made to go Wl~

Tifway 419 bermudagrass, Dr. LloYCallahan ran DNA testing to ensurethe specific plots were 100 percent trueto type.

In order to avoid the soil interlace andthatch layer that can become a problemeven with washed sod fields, Williamsopted to harvest the turf as sod, thenhand-feed it through the shreddingmachines to produce sprigs that were vir-tually. soil-free.

"Then he staged a parade of fieldplanting," says Campbell. "A row planterwas used to plant half of the sprigs intothe ground at a depth of 3 inches, spacedin rows 4 inches apart. The row planterwas followedby a broadcast spreader thatspread the remaining half of the sprigson the surface. A street roller followedbehind to firm everything into place.Sprigs are normally set out at 800 to 1,000bushels per acre. Williams used 4,000bushels of sprigs on our two acres offield. The double-depth placement of soil-free sprigs was completed on May 9th.By July 4th, we had 100-percent cover-age, with a strong rhizome base that sta-bilized the field."

"It took us awhile to reach a com-fort zone in watering the newly-plantedsprigs. The sand-based field has a muchfaster percolation rate than native soilfields, but water retention and availabilityto the plants was excellent. We filled thecolumn with water and watered lightlyagain whenever the surface began todry. Once the turl reached establishment,we increased the amount ofwater appliedand lengthened the watering intervalsto encourage deep rooting."

"Dr. Ward is doing tissue testing forus so that we can fine-tune our fertilityprogram to match turf needs precisely."

"A moist sand-based field is similar tothe section of beach bordering the water.It's firm enough to remain stable, yet givesenough to cushion activity that takes placeon its surface. With the crowned field,and our infiltration rate of 13 inches, we'reanticipating little need for tarping."

''We're now rethinking our field-paint-ing process. We'll be painting the end-Zonein an orange and white checkerboardpattern, as well as doing the tradition-allining. We11test out our system on thepractice field to refine techniques anddefine timing options before we paint themain field. We'll also be closelymonitoringthe turfs reaction to the orange paint.We've researched paint options to findthe least disruptive alternative."

''We've been able to do this project withfew constraints. We didn't waste money- I'm much too conservative for that-but we didn't skimp on quality or omitthings we felt were necessary becauseof cost."

"Public curiosity about this field con-version is extraordinary. Our coaches justcompeted in a golf tournament and thefirst question they were asked was 'Whatdoes the field look like?' We've set up agate so that people can see the field,but not get out on it. We've been gettingfrom 100 to 150 people a day since thefield was in place, just stopping by to checkit out. The official 'debut' is September17th - on national TV - and we play theUniversity of Florida.

"Sports turf managers have to lovewhat they do - and our families have tolove us to put up with all the hours wedevote to field care. Grass doesn't reada calendar or a time clock. My person-al support system is terrific - my wife Toni,a math teacher at the university; sonPeter, a freshman at the university in elec-

trical engineering - and a member ofmy grounds crew; and my daughterTracy, who is just starting 9th grade -all look out for me."

"If I have any edge in sports turf care,it's that my years of coaching help meunderstand what other coaches are look-ing for in a field - and hopefully help meanticipate and keep a step ahead in fill-ing their needs. But just when you thinkyou understand most of the ins and outsofturf care, that grass becomes determinedto foolyou. It's an ongoing challenge - andone that's got me hooked." 0

Editor's Note: Bob Tracinski is the man-ager of public relations for the JohnDeere Company in Raleigh, NC, andpublic relations chair for the SportsTurf Managers Association.

September 1994 27

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Topdresser

Turfco Mfgs' Mete-R-Matic III topdresser has the newchevron belt for leveling turf and promoting thedecomposition of thatch. It is a non-hydraulic ground-driven unit pulled by most tractors and turf trucks. Thechevron belt combined with the ground drive revolu-tionizes topdressers' abilities to uniformly spreadmaterial. It has a 5-foot-wide spread and is easilyloaded with a front end loader; allowing you to uni-formly topdress an athletic field in two hours or less.

TURFCO MFG. INC.1655 101st Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55449-4420

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Circle 113 on Postage Free Card

Turfgrass Seed Coating

CelPril's Nutr'i-Kote?' is the grounds care professional'sbest friend. Nutri-Kote stimulates growth and fights disease innewly seeded turfgrass. Nutri-Kote supplies vital nutrients toyoung seedlings during the critical early growth stage, providinga feeding as soon as young plants come to life. Nutri-Koteimproves stand establishment by promoting more vigorous,healthier, thicker plants. Available with Apron" for Pythium con-trol. Newly seeded greens can be played in as little as 3 weeks.Ask your turfgrass seed supplier for Nutri-Koted seed.Askfor:

CelPril251 Oak Street • Manteca, CA 95337(209) 823-1738 • (209) 823-8855 fax

Circle 115 on Postage Free Card

28 sporfsTURF

Finishing Mowers

The ideal machine for turf grass growers, golf

courses, parks and large recreational areas. Featuringsizes of 12, 15, 17, 22 and 26 feet. Constructed of high-

quality components and engineered for strength in

professional use. Each model features three free -float-

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el terrain.

BEFCO, Inc.P.O. Box 6036, Rocky Mount, NC 27802-6036

(800) 334-6617 • Telefax: (919) 977-9718

Circle 114 on Postage Free Card

Sportsfield Drainage

Will your sportsfields be ready to play 45 minutes after a5-inch cloudburst? Tulsa Drillers Stadium was ... becauseit's a Championship Athletic Turf natural turfgrass sports-field installed by stn sports. More than 2000 stn sports-fields are now installed in the U.S. and around the world.The list of teams that now rely on stn sports playing fieldsreads like a Who's Who of Successful High School, College,and Professional Sports Programs.We specialize in both the renovation of existing sportsfieldsand the design, construction, and planting of high-drainageturfgrass sportsfields.

stn sports"southern turf nurseries

Norcross, GA 300711 (800) 448-8069 • FAX (404) 448-6832

Circle 116 on Postage Free Card