Abstract: Golf course construction standards create fine sports fields.

Think golf when building or renovating a sportsfield. Golf course construction standards have a place in sportsfield construction. Sportsfields include baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse and any other sport requiring a turfed field. Sportsfields require positive grading, dense turf and subsurface drainage, just like a golf course. When I examine a sportsfield, I look for the following details:

• Existing grades-It is important to have a slope of at least 1% on all sportsfields. This percentage is the minimum slope to insure sheet flow of excess water from the playing surface. If you don’t have this pitch, you’ll have a potential drainage problem because water will settle on the surface instead of washing down the slope.

• Turf quality-Sportsfields are subject to intensive wear. Many were seeded with generic bluegrass mixes that can’t perform in high-traffic scenarios. I encourage the use of new cultivars (seed types) that are engineered to resist heavy wear. These seed types accept reduced watering and lower mowing height.

• Irrigation system-If the field is irrigated, I examine the efficiency of the system. If the pump and pipe are properly sized, simple adjustments or sprinkler replacements provide enhanced irrigation coverage.

• Soil types-I examine the existing soil. A shovel dig every fifty feet will show how the existing soil is performing. I dig down about 12″ and after viewing the soil, I put the plug back in the hole. Heavy soil can be offset with 2″ slit drains placed every 8 feet in a parallel pattern.

Think golf on your sportsfield. Your players will like playing on a golf course fairway.