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Why do we replace the turf so often?

sackman

Hates the Counting Crows.
Club Member
I don't understand this phenomenon. I take good care of my lawn at home. I water, fertilize, mow, aerate, weed, etc. Is this kind of maintenance not adequate for a football field? Why the need to tear out the old and put in new every couple years?
 
I suspect part of the need has to do with summer events on the field: graduation, Boulder Bolder, 4th of July and this year the pro volleyball thing. cover up the grass on a hot day, it's not going to do so well?

seems i remember that the Bolder Boulder wanted to pay for the sport turf to allay their own insurance risk with the field? something like that.
 
I don't understand this phenomenon. I take good care of my lawn at home. I water, fertilize, mow, aerate, weed, etc. Is this kind of maintenance not adequate for a football field? Why the need to tear out the old and put in new every couple years?

Keeping sports fields in good shape is a science.
 
Keeping sports fields in good shape is a science.

:yeahthat:

I suspect it might have more to do with keeping a level/smooth playing surface than the condition of the actual grass. These fields get regularly torn up.
 
This would be pretty much what Folsom Field would look like if DBT took care of it.

Bad%20Lawn.JPG
 
I kinda remember Coach Hawk and Bohn discussing the merits of tearing out the grass and putting in some artificial sport turf. The arguements were 1) Cost savings. 2) A faster playing surface that better accommodates Hawkin's style of play.

From this fan's perspective, the natural stuff looks better. But winning football games and running a cost effective program also makes sense.

Is the natural/artificial debate still alive?
 
Re: remember, we are young...

"We like to run around a lot and we're cute, but sometimes we chew things up and pee on the rug". That has got to create some brown spots, you know? Then you have to replace the sod.:smile2:

LOL. Nice first post, NC Welcome.:thumbsup:
 
I kinda remember Coach Hawk and Bohn discussing the merits of tearing out the grass and putting in some artificial sport turf. The arguements were 1) Cost savings. 2) A faster playing surface that better accommodates Hawkin's style of play.

From this fan's perspective, the natural stuff looks better. But winning football games and running a cost effective program also makes sense.

Is the natural/artificial debate still alive?

That definately makes sense when you think about things. I think one of the problems with artificial turf though is doesn't it cause you to have more injuries? I know when you try to cut back or something along those lines if you get hung up on the turf somehow it won't give like natural. That would cause you to have more knee injuries, ankle injuries, etc.
 
Do they have to tear up Invesco as often as they tear up Folsom?????

I would think Invesco sees a LOT more traffic that Folsom does.
 
I believe the INVESCO Field sod is replaced at least once a year. Sometimes it's more often and even during the middle of a season.
 
No, it's all real grass. When Folsom went away from the carpet bak in the late 90s, that's where the real/artificial mix was used. I don't know if it's currently there or not.
 
Do they have to tear up Invesco as often as they tear up Folsom?????

I would think Invesco sees a LOT more traffic that Folsom does.

Invesco has bigger stands so the field might not get as much light as it does at Folsom. That can be a huge factor and that´s one of the main reasons why pretty much every football club with a bigger stadium in Europe has a problem keeping the field in good shape.
 
Do they have to tear up Invesco as often as they tear up Folsom?????

I would think Invesco sees a LOT more traffic that Folsom does.


I believe the INVESCO Field sod is replaced at least once a year. Sometimes it's more often and even during the middle of a season.


Actually is we would just pay another $1,420,000, Folsom could have a turf that doesn't need replacing, like they have over at Invesco.
 
**** that. ****ty, sloppy fields are part of football.

Yeah - my point was basically, no way in hell for that kind of money. We can just change the sod out every two years for a century or so and be better off from a $$ point of view.
 
This is no joke. Virginia Tech has a major, yes MAJOR, in turf management :wow:. If only we had that in Boulder, just imagine what my yard would look like besides brown and dead :huh:

Maybe I'm just a dumb farm kid from Oregon, but I always thought the "turf management" majors were somehow involved in the ranching business.

EDIT:

I suspect CU would have been more successful by offering a hydroponics program.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Maybe I'm just a dumb farm kid from Oregon, but I always thought the "turf management" majors were somehow involved in the ranching business.

EDIT:

I suspect CU would have been more successful by offering a hydroponics program.

heh. actually i know a couple people who are golf course superintendents with turf management degrees. one from ATM and one from Mich State, i think--both Ag schools, obviously.
 
Sloppy fields lead to injuries.

That's very true! Did anyone watch that Steelers game, I think it was last year, where they had high school playoffs in the stadium for the whole week before the game? They then decided to try and lay sod on top of other sod due to the poor condition of the field which was a dumba$$ move. The field was so damn sloppy that on one of the punts the ball hit the turf and just stuck into the ground. That had to be the worst field I've ever seen. :wow:
 
That definately makes sense when you think about things. I think one of the problems with artificial turf though is doesn't it cause you to have more injuries? I know when you try to cut back or something along those lines if you get hung up on the turf somehow it won't give like natural. That would cause you to have more knee injuries, ankle injuries, etc.
Allbuffs has been through this discussion before, the new sports truff needs alot of maintenance - it needs to be raked because of the synthetic particles they mix in to cushion falls. It doesn't last but a few years, and then you need to replace it. The difference in the cost is not that much after all. I freakin hate synthetic turf, and if it was up to the players, they would be fools to favor it over natural grass.
 
That's very true! Did anyone watch that Steelers game, I think it was last year, where they had high school playoffs in the stadium for the whole week before the game? They then decided to try and lay sod on top of other sod due to the poor condition of the field which was a dumba$$ move. The field was so damn sloppy that on one of the punts the ball hit the turf and just stuck into the ground. That had to be the worst field I've ever seen. :wow:

As bad as the old astroturf in Veterans' Stadium in Philly, the one with the ripped seams and no padding under the turf? It was criminal that athletes were ever expected to play football on that garbage. Even bad grass fields aren't as bad as astroturf.

As for Folsom, I think, repeat, think, that this is only the second time the sod has been re-laid since 1999. The last time was in 2001 because a mold was allowed to grow on the grass. I could be wrong, though.
 
Allbuffs has been through this discussion before, the new sports truff needs alot of maintenance - it needs to be raked because of the synthetic particles they mix in to cushion falls. It doesn't last but a few years, and then you need to replace it. The difference in the cost is not that much after all. I freakin hate synthetic turf, and if it was up to the players, they would be fools to favor it over natural grass.

Thank you. You even need to scrub the field with bleach if somebody bleeds on the field, because its a biohazard. I hate plastic grass.
 
No kidding. That **** is tough on your lungs. :lol:

Thats not funny dude. Do you know how long it takes to stuff that stuff in a bong? And thats after you rip it off some old guy's front porch. Natural grass all the way!
 
I don't understand this phenomenon. I take good care of my lawn at home. I water, fertilize, mow, aerate, weed, etc. Is this kind of maintenance not adequate for a football field? Why the need to tear out the old and put in new every couple years?

well if it is every couple of years, the answer should be rather obvious. who was the last team CU played at home on that turf? that same team comes in every couple of years as the final game of the year. :cool:
 
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