FIELD SCIENCE: Managing water for playability www.sportsturfonline.com SPORTS FIELD AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT March 2016 ALSO INSIDE: Mapping to improve field management Leo Goertz tribute BMPs: What things REALLY cost Brightest whites Vivid colors Earth friendly i £*S rwi Learn more about our commitment SAFER to the health and sustainability of Pioneer athletic fields and our zero-VOC, CHOICE Ultra-Friendly natural grass paints ATHLETICS at pioneerathletics.com. pioneerathletics.com/st36 | 1-800-877-1500 STARTING LINEUP March 2016 I Volume 32 I Number 3 FEATURES Field Science 8 Managing infield ball roll 12 Managing the "field within the field" 16 Mapping to improve athletic field management 20 Managing water for payability 24 Basic baseball field maintenance Leo Goertz Tribute 30 In remembrance of Leo Goertz, Texas A&M athletic field manager Facilities & Operations 32 BMPs: What are things REALLY costing you? 2015 Field of the Year 36 Schools/Parks Baseball: Ivey-Watson Field, Gainesville City Schools, Gainesville, GA Tools & Equipment 42 Sprinklers and related products update DEPARTMENTS 06 From the Sidelines 07 STMA President's Message 29 John Mascara's Photo Quiz 44 STMA in Action 47 STMA Chapter Contacts 48 Marketplace 49 Advertisers' Index 50 Q&A o ON THE COVER: M This great shot was submitted by David Presnell, . *« , tj'i; taI CSFM, the winning turf manager of the STMA's 2015 Schools/Parks Baseball Field of the Year, Ivey- • \ jltjM t r . Watson Field, Gainesville City Schools, Gainesville, m If T GA. Please see page 36 to see David's maintenance plan and more information about his winning field. Congratulations, David, you made the cover! AifSi^ % 4 SportsTfcirf February 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com k GROWING green SPORTS TURF from ^or ^ | Bermuda are ideal for FOR 30YEaYEa*r S Delta Bluegrass Company all your sports turf needs. s e 1 is second to none! For over /Nce I * * All varieties are offered 30 years, Delta Bluegrass on rich delta peat soil, but are Company has been providing and also grown on sand, meeting USGA installing the industry's highest quality specifications. A! varieties are available products. Our Tifway 419, Tifway II, 50-50 un-netted upon request. Rely on Delta Blue-Rye, and our exclusively grown Bluegrass Company, the premier sports Celebration, Princess 77 and Baby turf professionals. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Abella (866) 825-4200 DELTA BLUEGRASS COMPANY PRODUCERS AND INSTALLERS OF PREMIUM GROWN SOD P.O. Box 307 • Stockton, CA 93201 • 800.637.8873 • 209.469.7979 • www.deltabluegrass.com C-27 752734 SAFETY IS JOB #1 EPG Media & Specialty Information 10405 6th Ave. N., Ste 210 Plymouth, MN 55441 The Official Publication Of The Sports Turf Managers Association Eric Schroder SALES REPRESENTATIVES Editorial Director Chris Pelikan [email protected] Senior Account Manager - East Phone:(763)383-4408 763-383-4458 [email protected] Peggy Tupper Senior Account Manager - Mid-West he first idea for this month's column managers should consider themselves as part Phone:(763)383-4429 was to discuss Major League of their organizations medical staff. [email protected] Baseballs recent recommendation Of course the emphasis on safety of playing Leslie Palmer Tthat all teams lengthen the safety surfaces isn't a new concept for the STMA Senior Account Manager - West netting in their ballparks to increase fan (or this magazine); their mission statement Phone:(248)731-7596 safety. Teams will be encouraged to add reads, "STMA advances professionalism in [email protected] netting, or some sort of protective barrier, sports field management and safety through EDITORIAL to shield fans from balls and bats that education, awareness programs, and industry Group Publisher: David Voll sometimes go into the stands in all field-level development." But with the focus so intense Editorial Director Eric Schroder Technical Editor: Dr. Joey Young seats between the near ends of both dugouts right now on concussions in football, with Art Director Jean Blackmer and within 70 feet of home plate. (We will some commenters asking if the game as we Production Manager: Karen Kalinyak address how this might affect baseball fields know it may soon change forever, there exists SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES nationwide, and options for such protections, a tremendous opportunity for sports turf Phone:(845)856-2229 in an upcoming feature in these pages.) managers to not only provide safe surfaces Fax:(847)763-9569 But after attending the opening general but also show and tell your bosses and tell [email protected] session of the STMA Conference in January your bosses and users how you are doing that. REPRINTS (see p. 44 for complete coverage), where Robin Cooper two speakers addressed research into CORRECTION [email protected] preventing or mitigating leg injuries, as well In our January issue in the article "Successful GROUP PUBLISHER as the keynote address by Dr. Timothy Gay seeding of cool-season grass coming out of David Voll at STMA's annual meeting on the current winter," Brad Park of Rutgers, a great friend [email protected] debate over concussions in American of the magazine, was mis-quoted (p. 16). In DIRECT MAIL LIST SALES football, I thought I'd instead focus on response to the question, "How should the MeritDirect, Jim Scova those presentations. soil be prepared to get seed into the soil and Phone:(914)368-1012 [email protected] Then my SportsTurf colleagues and I growing as soon as possible?" Brad's response sat down for a meeting in San Diego began, "To preserve soil structure and avoid with STMAs executive committee. And severe soil compaction, soils should NOT Immediate Past President Allen Johnson, be manipulated and graded when wet." MEDIAD EPG SPECIALTY INFORMATION CSFM, the Green Bay Packers turf manager, Unfortunately the "not" didn't make it into at one point in our discussion said, our article. We sincerely apologize to Brad american "When it comes to safety, the field is as for this error. business mediag} important as a helmet." Allen went on to ask if we would consider CLARIFICATION the safety angle in every article we publish, In our February issue all the photos that saying, "We need to reinforce to the members appeared with Darian Daily's article on fraze LflB how important their role us in player safety; mowing, pages 16-18, were courtesy of Jerad we are 'safety agents'." Minnick, growinggreengrass.net. We regret Tim Van Loo, CSFM, Iowa State's manager not sharing that in the issue. EH of athletic turf and grounds and STMA President-Elect, added that Dr. Richard Kent said during his presentation on shoes and surfaces and reducing injury that turf SportsTurf | March 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com Sportsïurf • MANAGERS ASSOCIATION TAKING TIME President: Jeffrey Salmond, CSFM FOR WHAT Immediate Past President: Allen Johnson, CSFM President-Elect: Tim Van Loo, CSFM WE LOVE MOST Secretary/Treasurer: Sarah Martin, CSFM Vice President Commercial: Jeff Salmond, CSFM Doug Schattinger Professional Facilities: [email protected] Dan Bergstrom Academic: Beth Guertal, PhD Higher Education: s I write this message, many way with our jobs, clutter, and society we Nick McKenna, CSFM of you will have returned from forget sometimes what we are really here for, Parks & Recreation: in the lives of our children and families. If Jimmy Simpson, CSFM our 27th Conference and K-12: Bobby Behr, CSFM AExhibition held in late January. we fill the jar up with all the smaller things, Commercial: Attendees highly rated its networking, it doesn't leave room for all the bigger things Randy Price in our lives. All the smaller things can clog Elected-at-Large: education and events. Read a full recap in Weston Appelfeller, CSFM this issue. San Diego is definitely a great up the pore space to help us stay rooted and Elected-at-Large: conference location! grounded with the people who really make Jeffrey Fowler The past few months of the year may have a difference in our lives. Our jobs may be in Chief Executive Officer: Kim Heck given us a chance to relax, recharge and fact taking us away from our families. But, if rethink before our seasons kick in. Many we clutter our lives with the smaller ancillary STMA OFFICE may have heard the story about a jar of things, life can just pass us by. 805 New Hampshire Suite E Lawrence, KS 66044 rocks, and how the jar represents our lives Too often in our industry we see the Phone: 800-323-3875 Fax: 800-366-0391 and with what we fill it up. Agronomically phenomenon called "burn-out." Many Email: [email protected] speaking, we can also attribute this analogy young, dedicated and passionate turf www.STMA.org to what we learn about soils and the way managers are leaving the profession STMA Editorial Communications Committee grass best roots in the soil. because our jobs take us away from the Chairman: Sarah Martin, CSFM bigger things that matter the most. Our TJ Brewer, CSFM; Joe Churchill; Jim Cornelius, You start with a jar that is full of rocks. CSFM; Jeremy Driscoll; Cliff Driver, CSFM; The rocks represent the people who we love jobs can be high stress that can take a toll Eric Fasbender. CSFM; Mark Frever, CSFM; and cherish the most: our families, parents, on our health and well-being. We do have Matt Hollan; Jamie Mehringer; Greg Petry; a tough job in creating safe surfaces for Jeff Salmond, CSFM; Troy Smith, CSFM, siblings and friends who we spend time with Scott Stevens; Dr. Joey Young and make a lifetime of memories. But the jar the athletes who are on our surfaces, and is not full. We can then add pebbles. Pebbles making them look good, too.