Sports Turf: Why Planning Ahead Matters

May 18, 2020 | By: Dax Gruber

With winter sports coming to an end, kids of all ages will be running out eagerly to start their spring sports. The warm sun permeates the body washing away those winter blues and brings the excitement of Spring. Then quickly, you have that frightening realization that the sports turf may not be up to par. The question sets in, how do I possibly get this ready for the season that is already here? 

Don’t hit the panic button quite yet, take a deep breath and get back to the basics! First, take a stroll with purpose through the field in question. You will want to bring a note pad to write down any of the issues that you see, and I do mean everything. From the smallest issues all the way to big issues that may not even need addressed yet (example, a mound needs rebuilt in the future). You will also want to add things to this list that you may not see, but remember from the year prior. Think long and hard back to the year before and add any issues that you remember. Congratulations, you have officially written an unorganized plan. 

Organization and time management now play a role. You will need to take a serious look at what you need to get done and how it matches up with your budget. Any safety issues such as low spots and ruts need to be taken care of first and quickly before anyone takes the field. A sports turf maintenance program should already be in place and will need to be taken out of the budget as well. A maintenance program will include soil tests, fertilization, over seedings, mowing, aerations and much more. Now you can prioritize the rest of the tasks and tackle them one at a time. Keep in mind this will be a running list from year to year with not everything getting done, depending on time and budget restrictions. You should constantly be adding to your notepad and reprioritizing the tasks at hand. You will then have a list with most known issues ready to start next year. This does not mean you will not do the initial assessment at the beginning of the following year. 

Follow these simple steps to make yourself more aware of the issues happening in your fields. This will not necessarily make your job any easier, it will however give you the foresight to see upcoming issues and having plans in place to address them. Green Velvet prides itself on giving expert advice and helping customers through issues. Reach out to our team and we will work with you to customize a plan specifically for your field. Remember, take a deep breath, get back to the basics and take it one problem at a time.