Playing surfaces

[Vini vidi]

Grass or turf playing surfaces. 
which and why?

Personally I prefer a grass field. 
Completely get why field turf is popular and all the reasons why but still like grass better

[SmashMouth]

9 minutes ago, Vini vidi said:

Grass or turf playing surfaces. 
which and why?

Personally I prefer a grass field. 
Completely get why field turf is popular and all the reasons why but still like grass better

Not that it’s not a fair question, but it comes up almost every year. You did not follow your own advice. You said which surface (grass), but not why.

[AggiesAreWe]

9 minutes ago, Vini vidi said:

Grass or turf playing surfaces. 
which and why?

Personally I prefer a grass field. 
Completely get why field turf is popular and all the reasons why but still like grass better

Grass, if it's maintained properly, which it hardly ever is.

Otherwise, field turf is the way to go.

[purpleeagle]

I remember years ago when Burkeville player Apple Springs  on their field. Apple Springs did not mow their field they mooed it. There was a cow on the field. 

[Vini vidi]

4 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

Not that it’s not a fair question, but it comes up almost every year. You did not follow your own advice. You said which surface (grass), but not why.

Give me a good grass field any day 

[Mr. Buddy Garrity]

4 minutes ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Grass, if it's maintained properly, which it hardly ever is.

Otherwise, field turf is the way to go.

Same thoughts here. 

[SmashMouth]

5 hours ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Grass, if it's maintained properly, which it hardly ever is.

Otherwise, field turf is the way to go.

Exactly. Grass if done right. 

[myrecordwashorrible]

Carl Spackler suggests a hybrid. 

[myrecordwashorrible]

Carl Spackler suggests a hybrid. 

[AHUDDLESTON]

A lot of the young coaches don't know the joy of washing grass stains out of uniforms or lining the fields every week thanks to turf.

[Tiger33]

I know the astro turf in the astrodome felt like cement when i hit it. I liked playing on grass

[navydawg31]

Turf only. I’m glad the grass era is done for, well for the bigger schools it is… 

[Right99JOH]

Grass all day every day!

The turf at Sam Houston was HORRIBLE... felt like landing on cement with 80grt sand paper on top.  Don't miss those days.

 

[SmashMouth]

8 hours ago, myrecordwashorrible said:

Carl Spackler suggests a hybrid. 

Something like a cross of bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, featherbed bench and northern California sensimilla if I'm not mistaken.

[bullets13]

I prefer grass, but I understand why turf works better for most schools.  I was a kicker for the football team, but soccer was where I excelled.  I'm so glad I didn't have to play 90% of my soccer games on turf like these kids today.  In football it makes the game quicker and keeps the field cleaner, but in soccer it speeds things up unnaturally and the bounces are horrible.  

[Right99JOH]

9 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

Something like a cross of bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, featherbed bench and northern California sensimilla if I'm not mistaken.

The Carl hybrid LOL

[png9mon]

22 hours ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Grass, if it's maintained properly, which it hardly ever is.

Otherwise, field turf is the way to go.

Maintained properly is how the district chooses to keep the grass.  Back in the 70s a visiting coach to PNG asked how we play football in that "cow pasture."  referring to the fact that the grass was kept a little high so we were used to practicing in it, and the opponents were not.  So the question is, turf is fair for everybody, grass may not be!!!

[skipmeister]

I never really liked it on the old school artificial turf (Astroturf). I hurt my right foot. This is like hard cement. I have been on artificial grass only once or twice and it is ok. I just mainly prefer a natural grass surface and it should be well-maintained.

[Vini vidi]

11 hours ago, AHUDDLESTON said:

A lot of the young coaches don't know the joy of washing grass stains out of uniforms or lining the fields every week thanks to turf.

Wednesday after practice painting parties. 
now instead of grass and dirt those coaches are having to get black infill stains out

[Separation Scientist]

If you don't have turf and a state-of-the-art Jumbotron and an indoor practice facility, then remember you "just don't care about the kids or the program". 

[Right99JOH]

23 hours ago, navydawg31 said:

Turf only. I’m glad the grass era is done for, well for the bigger schools it is… 

Why are you glad the grass era is done?  More injuries occur on turf than on grass. 

[Looper]

A good grass field is the best but good grass fields are nearly impossible to find. At a high school level you will never play on two grass fields that are equal, and hardly ever a truly good (level, flat, good grass,  well maintained) grass field. Especially at smaller schools where you are playing on weeds, dirt spots, crawfish holes, and uneven surface. Turf is best for high school is provides the most consistency across the board. Grass is better at higher levels because it can be maintained to the proper standard.

[SmashMouth]

19 minutes ago, Looper said:

A good grass field is the best but good grass fields are nearly impossible to find. At a high school level you will never play on two grass fields that are equal, and hardly ever a truly good (level, flat, good grass,  well maintained) grass field. Especially at smaller schools where you are playing on weeds, dirt spots, crawfish holes, and uneven surface. Turf is best for high school is provides the most consistency across the board. Grass is better at higher levels because it can be maintained to the proper standard.

So turf doesn't have to be maintained?

[PackAttack]

Turf fields are easier to maintain, they are playable in wet weather.  The technology has gotten much better over the years.

Grass is better IMO, the downfall is maintenance, not all grass fields are the same or maintained the same. Wet and cold weather is a problem. Most schools do not over seed their fields, so you have a brown field with painted dirt later in the fall.  If you have ever played in the mud on a cold night, well you will remember it. I do. As far as early turf days, playing at Sam Houston, you might as well have been playing in the parking lot. 

IMO there are more ACL, high ankle sprain and turf toe injuries today with turf, than a player would have from playing on a well maintained grass field.

It's a toss up economically, however you do see more NFL and College teams reverting back to grass.  The turf technology will get better, just don't know how close the turf manufacturers can get to REAL grass.

[AggiesAreWe]

Just now, PackAttack said:

Turf fields are easier to maintain, they are playable in wet weather.  The technology has gotten much better over the years.

Grass is better IMO, the downfall is maintenance, not all grass fields are the same or maintained the same. Wet and cold weather is a problem. Most schools do not over seed their fields, so you have a brown field with painted dirt later in the fall.  If you have ever played in the mud on a cold night, well you will remember it. I do. As far as early turf days, playing at Sam Houston, you might as well have been playing in the parking lot. 

IMO there are more ACL, high ankle sprain and turf toe injuries today with turf, than a player would have from playing on a well maintained grass field.

It's a toss up economically, however you do see more NFL and College teams reverting back to grass.  The turf technology will get better, just don't know how close the turf manufacturers can get to REAL grass.

It's not just injuries with turf. There are more staph infections with turf fields than there are with grass fields.