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Fieldturf vs sod at Jack Trice

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ketelmeister

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2006
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With renovation of the south endzone still a year away, there is still time for the debate on using Fieldturf, vs real sod. I have been a real sod supporter the past, but after visiting Nebraska's facilities last year, I'm not so sure anymore. Fieldturf has several advantges
1. Less maintence
2. Some say easier on the legs
3. Looks good all year when recruits visit
4. More weather resistant.
5. Can be used as a practice facility
The fact that Iowa State has such a strong turf management program, complicates the issue. But should that influence the decision? I don't know, but do know that after running on the field turf, it has a great feel and is impressive. After being on JT at the end of the season, the fieldturf sure looked better to me.
 
ketelmeister said:
With renovation of the south endzone still a year away, there is still time for the debate on using Fieldturf, vs real sod. I have been a real sod supporter the past, but after visiting Nebraska's facilities last year, I'm not so sure anymore. Fieldturf has several advantges
1. Less maintence
2. Some say easier on the legs
3. Looks good all year when recruits visit
4. More weather resistant.
5. Can be used as a practice facility
The fact that Iowa State has such a strong turf management program, complicates the issue. But should that influence the decision? I don't know, but do know that after running on the field turf, it has a great feel and is impressive. After being on JT at the end of the season, the fieldturf sure looked better to me.
Click to expand...
I'm partial to grass personally. I just think it seems like schools care more about their facilities if they have grass that they need to take care of instead of fieldturf that just sits there. That and I didn't like warming up on the fieldturf at Drake last year at state track. It just doesn't feel like a football surface to me for some reason.
 
ketelmeister said:
With renovation of the south endzone still a year away, there is still time for the debate on using.
Click to expand...

Do you know something we dont about the south endzone? I thought it was going to be a few years down the road before the bowling in was done. I thought it was the last phase of the plan, to happen after the BB facality is done and after the east side of JTS is finished.

The real suff. ISU takes great pride in having a real grass field.
 
kingcy said:
Do you know something we dont about the south endzone? I thought it was going to be a few years down the road before the bowling in was done. I thought it was the last phase of the plan, to happen after the BB facality is done and after the east side of JTS is finished.

The real suff. ISU takes great pride in having a real grass field.
Click to expand...

I was told officials hoped to keep the current turf until after the upcoming season as the south end zone project will tear up the field and it will cost another $250,000 plus to replace again. There are two explainations, either:
1. They changed their mind on doing the project next year
2. The turf had so much winter kill there was no choice.
I'm betting it's number two.
 
kingcy said:
Do you know something we dont about the south endzone? I thought it was going to be a few years down the road before the bowling in was done. I thought it was the last phase of the plan, to happen after the BB facality is done and after the east side of JTS is finished.

The real suff. ISU takes great pride in having a real grass field.
Click to expand...

If JP can get a big corporate sponser ("companies name" for the end zone and such) it would be next year is what I remember.
 
play on both and you will realize that

turf is not grass and although it may look nice at times, it is never better for the athlete.

Football was meant to be played on grass and more injuries happen on turf.

Field turf is better than ever, but it's got a long ways to go before it equals a grass field.
 
My thoughts.... We started as an Ag School, I'm an Ag major. I think natural grass looks better and the Athletic Department and also the college take great pride in it.

Keep it grass... You want turf go watch the Barnstormers play.
 
What's in the Bergstrom building? Is that field turf? I've played a couple of times on that and running wise its not bad, felt very natural to cut and move on. Other than that, it was annoying to have the little chunks of rubber from the field filling my cleats and don't forget about the massive amounts of burns. I played just 3 games and had numerous amounts of burns, im sure players would not be excited about playing on that all season. It may be that Im such a baseball guy, but for me nothing compares to a nice, well kept natural grass.
 
wartknight said:
Played college ball on Field Turf. Coach now and would choose FT over sod any day.
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You must have been a kicker. JOKE

I have played on both and I would never choose field turf over grass and no one I played with preferred it after they played on it. Some thought it was great until they slid across it once.
 
unfortunately a football field gets torn up very easily, if anyone has been out to the muscatine soccer complex i would like to see that type of field used, its called grassy turf, its real grass and very well maintained but has similar features to turf, very thin, about 1/4 inch tall, almost fast track like ...
 
D UP Clones said:
You must have been a kicker.

I have played on both and I would never choose field turf over grass and no one I played with preferred it after they played on it. Some thought it was great until they slid across it once.
Click to expand...

Played and coach O-Line. ALways sure footing. You can be playing in a driving rainstorm and have the same footing as a 70 degree dry fall afternoon. I had VERY FEW burns, if any that I can remember and I haven't heard a single player on my team complain in the 4 years now that I have been coaching with probably75-80% of our games being played on FT or something similar. The only negative is the rubber chunks which IMO is minor.
Just as good of conditions at the beginning of the year as there is at the end.
 
Grass, all the way. There are some things in sports that just shouldn't change. Real grass in one of those (along with outdoor stadiums). I can't stand field turf. Just doesn't look right.
 
Grass is the only way to go, and Pollard said the maintenance costs between grass and field turf are surprisingly close. As mentioned earlier, we have a great turf management program, and installing field turf would be a bag over the head punch in the face.
 
wartknight said:
Played and coach O-Line. ALways sure footing. You can be playing in a driving rainstorm and have the same footing as a 70 degree dry fall afternoon. I had VERY FEW burns, if any that I can remember and I haven't heard a single player on my team complain in the 4 years now that I have been coaching with probably75-80% of our games being played on FT or something similar. The only negative is the rubber chunks which IMO is minor.
Just as good of conditions at the beginning of the year as there is at the end.
Click to expand...

Actually, the only negative I heard about FT is it gets very hot on hot days. Rubber absorbes the heat. Otherwise, most players I've talked to seem to prefer it, fieldturf. If there are other players on this site, I'd like to hear from you.
 
I forgot about the heat aspect. All the games anymore we have on it are at night. I don't know that I ever noticed it being hotter on the FT than sod though. Being a fattie, hot was any gametime temp over 70.
 
D UP Clones said:
You must have been a kicker. JOKE

I have played on both and I would never choose field turf over grass and no one I played with preferred it after they played on it. Some thought it was great until they slid across it once.
Click to expand...

I've also heard players complain about the aches and pains - especially in the knees - that accompanies playing and practicing on FT. As an example, Torii Hunter was adamant about signing with a team that played on grass when he went the free agent route last year. Most veteran players in both baseball and football have a similar preference.

While FT may have an advantage in rainy or sloppy conditions, it gives all of that back and then some when the temperature gets above the mid-eighties.
 
Artificial turf of any kind sanitizes the game too much. As a fan, I really enjoy the philosophical concepts of building a team to compete in a variety of weather conditions. I like how strong winds neutralize a passing team, and how a muddy or frozen field slows the speedsters down. And since the teams we play seem to have more team speed than we do, turf in inclement weather would put us at a competitive disadvantage.

Why would we do that to ourselves?


Besides, mud on the uniform is a badge of honor!
 
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